


A Very Edd Love Story

by mindlessharmony1017



Category: Ed Edd n Eddy
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Smut, KevEdd - Freeform, Love, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-16
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-22 20:49:30
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 35,561
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8300537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mindlessharmony1017/pseuds/mindlessharmony1017
Summary: A Kevedd fanfic.Double D and Kevin begin to realize their feelings for each other, and after a couple nasty accidents, begin to truly fall for each other.





	1. The Early Years

"Hey, Double D!" 

Eddward, more commonly known as Double D to the residents of Peach Creek, was jerked from his slumber blearily. He sat bolt-upright in bed, frantically rubbing his eyes and looking around to see where the noise had come from. It had sounded like Ed, but he couldn't be sure. A pounding on his window caused him to look up and confirm that it was in fact his best friend whose screaming had caused him to wake up from a marvelous dream about the dawn of time. 

"Double D, wake up!" Ed bellowed through the window, continuing to knock on it with force, setting Edd's teeth on edge. He was tempted to tell him to go away so he might return to the dream he had been so thoroughly enjoying, but he knew that Ed would not stop until he was entertained. 

"Alright, alright, give me just one moment to arouse myself from slumber if you wouldn't mind," yawned Edd, sleepily rising from his cushiony bed and trudging to the window. He undid the latch and lifted the pane, only to have Ed tumble into his room, nearly squashing his friend in the process. "My goodness, Ed. Would you mind paying at least the slightest bit of attention to what you are doing?" Edd demanded crankily, turning back to his bed and shaking his head. "Messy, messy, messy," he muttered to himself, pulling the covers back to their rightful place and smoothing them out. 

In the meantime, Ed stood up from his fall and excitedly bounded over to the smaller boy, proceeding to scream in his ear. "DOUBLE D!" Edd lurched away from him, covering his ear and wincing, his head ringing.

"Yes, Ed? How may I assist you?"

"Double D! Eddy wanted me to come get you!" Ed was bouncing in place, obviously very excited. "He says he has a new idea that will get us JAWBREAKERS!" He screamed the last word, causing Double D to wince again and cover his ears.

"Ed, please. I must ask that you desist this yelling until I have fully awoken. It is far too early for such noise." He gingerly rubbed his temples, then yawned again, covering his mouth with a small hand. "Let Eddy know that I shall be out once I have completed my morning routine, not a moment before."

"Okay Double D!" Ed giggled excitedly. "Will you be as fast a chicken? I like chickens, Double D." He gave an impish grin to his best friend, who smiled in return, amused by Ed's antics. 

"I suppose I can finish my routine as rapidly as feathered poultry, yes. Now I must ask you to go outside and let Eddy know that I will be there soon." Edd proceeded to walk to the window, opening it again, as it had closed after Ed's tumble, then holding it open as Ed climbed back outside. 

"Bye Double D" Ed sniffled and proceeded to run in his strange but lovable way, with his arms flailing along behind him. Double D shook his head bemusedly, then yawned once more, latched the window, and began his usual routine. Half an hour later, having successfully completed his shower and daily chores, and after pulling on his usual orange shirt, purple shorts, red socks and black and white beanie, he stepped outside, locking his front door behind him. For a moment he was unsure which direction to head, but then a loud bang answered his question and he proceeded towards the end of the cul-de-sac. 

"Salutations, gentlemen, might I ask what your plan is today to secure us the wonders of jawbreakers?" Edd questioned as he neared the two Eds, working busily on what appeared to be a... umm.. to be honest he was not sure what it was. "I must inquire, what is it you are making today?" 

"Double D!" Ed shrieked, attempting to dive bomb Edd, but failing, as his jacket was attached to whatever the invention sitting on the sidewalk was. 

"Finally you show up Double D!" Eddy was holding a wrench and working on a nut with a religious fervor. "I need your help with this latest scam so I can draw in sucker-- I mean customers!" 

"Alright, but can you please fill me in on the specifics?" Edd pressed, still not sure what was going on. 

"Yea no problem!" Eddy threw the wrench to the ground and jumped on top of his creation. It looked like a merry-go-round, only with propellers attached to it, and Ed had somehow managed to get his jacket caught on one of the propellers, and was attempting to yank it off without success. "Welcome to the Ed-Go-Round!" He pronounced with a flourish, a little bit annoyed when he received no reaction from Edd. "Ahem. I might need your help to get it working properly...but people are going to pay big money for a super fast merry-go-round ride! We're going to be rich! And have all the jawbreakers we could ever want." Eddy's gaze drifted off as he stared into space, a dribble of drool running down his chin as he thought about the treasure in store for him and his pals if this worked.

"I see," Edd said absentmindedly, walking around the creation as he examined it closely. "You're going to need a more steady foundation so it doesn't wobble when it starts going, an auxiliary engine, various supports to balance it out..." He continued muttering to himself for a good three minutes before telling them to come with him to gather materials. Ed was quick to help, assisting in bringing over all the necessary supplies and placing them where Edd directed him to. Eddy flat out refused to help, instead working on telling all the kids in the cul-de-sac about their new invention. 

"Come one, come all, come see the best ride to ever grace the world, yours to ride for only 25 cents!" He called out, attracting the attention of those around them while Ed and Double D put the finishing touches on the ride. Eddy held out an empty glass jar, pressing the other kids to ride, and when none of them jumped at the chance, he cleared his throat. "Ahem. A demonstration then! Ed?" Ed lept forward, sitting on one of the sections in the merry-go-round. "Watch and be amazed as my invention creates hours of fun!" Double D flipped a switch, watching nervously as Ed started to spin, slowly at first then faster and faster. 

"That looks fun!" Nazz said, fishing in her pockets for a quarter and dropping it in the jar with a clink. The other kids started nodding as well, then one by one they came up and started putting their own contributions in. Johnny, paying for himself and Plank were the next, then Sara and Jimmy, followed by Rolf, and finally Kevin. Double D smiled and turned off the ride so they could all clamber on, then returned the power to the ride. 

The kids grabbed onto the railings and chattered excitedly to each other as the ride picked up speed slowly, then rapidly. Eddy was no longer interested by the steadily increasing speed of the ride, as he was completely engrossed in the coins he held in the jar. Ed was laughing hysterically, still sitting on the ride. Double D, however, was worried. He was unsure if his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, but one of the wooden supports he had asked Ed to place to make sure the merry-go-round didn't wobble seemed to be coming loose. 

"Uh, Eddy...?" He called tentatively to his friend. "Eddy??" 

"What do you want, Sockhead?" Eddy asked irritably, his gaze never leaving the jar in his arms.

"Eddy, I have a mild concern about the safety of this ride, one of the supports seems to be--"

"Can it, Sockhead, let them have their fun." Eddy snapped rudely, interrupting Edd, who was now wringing his hands nervously and glancing at the ride, now obviously wobbling. He looked back and forth between the ride and Eddy, unsure what to do as the ride picked up more speed, starting to look rather dangerous, and Edd made up his mind, lunging for the controls. 

He slammed on the switch, but it seemed to have no effect, and sparks began to fly from the bottom of the ride as it began rocking off its support. It scraped off its foundation, the kids on it screamed loudly, and Edd ran towards the ride, hoping to stop it, but as he leapt for it, it spun just out of reach and he slammed to the ground. 

"ED, I'M TELLING MOM AND YOU'RE GOING TO BE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!!!" Sara could be heard screaming from her position on the merry-go-round before it slammed into the fence and all the riders flew off into a nearby tree.

"Sara...!" Jimmy whined at the redhead.

"Jimmy! Are you okay?" She checked then screamed at her brother again about how much trouble he was going to be in.

"Oof, Rolf has not felt such aches since his grandmother challenged him to a singing competition..." the blue haired boy groaned. He noticed the other children staring at him and asked "Why do you stare at Rolf so? It is the Ed-boys you should be staring at!" The others nodded in agreement then proceeded to extricate themselves from the trees gingerly, some jumping down like Kevin and Nazz, others climbing like Sara and Jimmy, and some flat out falling (Ed). They converged in an angry mob on Eddy, who clutched the jar of coins to him tightly, trying to deter them from taking his treasure. 

"No, wait, stop!" He pleaded with them futilely as they converged on him, Sara's face was red with anger, and Kevin looked about ready to put a whole through his head. 

"GIVE US A REFUND, DORK!" Kevin demanded, the sheer ferocity of his words making Eddy's knees shake. 

"Now, now, surely there must be some arrangement we can come to..." Double D pleaded, not wanting to see his friends get hurt. 

"Beat it Double Dweeb," Kevin glared at the thin boy, whose entire body was quivering in fear, then turned back to Eddy, who was still clutching his money. "Give. Back. Our. Money. NOW. Dork." he demanded once again, and Eddy held out the jar, the pure fear in him making the coins clink together as the children grabbed their coins and traipsed away. Kevin stayed for a minute longer to taunt Eddy some more. "Looks like you're not getting any jawbreakers, dork," He laughed, then punched Eddy in the shoulder before following his friends. 

Edd sighed and walked over to the tree where Ed was lying on his back, waving his arms and legs in the air like a dying beetle. "Do you require assistance Ed?" he asked, holding out a hand and helping his large friend up. He then turned around and looked at Eddy, who was sitting on the ground holding the now empty jar out in front of him and staring at it with an expression of disbelief. 

"Another scam, down the drain," he said, looking genuinely defeated. 

"Come on, Eddy, I'm sure one of them will work some day," Double D consoled. "You can't give up hope yet!" 

Eddy looked at him with a look of confusion and sorrow for a moment, then looked back at the jar, wiping away tears "Yea. You're right Double D. Just gotta keep trying." He stood up and smiled. "C'mon Ed, let's go find some more scams to do!"

"YEA! CHICKENS!!" Ed looked so happy at his random reply that Edd and Eddy couldn't help but laugh hysterically.

"Yea, buddy. Chickens," Eddy grinned and started walking back to his house. "What do you say to a horror movie marathon and pizza?" Ed and Double D cheered and Ed ran after Eddy, but Double D stayed back for a moment, surveying the damage the runaway merry-go-round had wrought. He stayed for another moment, just staring at nothing in particular, thinking about what had transpired earlier, and what Eddy had said. 'Just gotta keep trying.' He smiled, then followed after his best friends.

"Wait up guys!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading my first ever fanfic. The next chapter will be set several years in the future, so keep reading for more!


	2. Three Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The members of Peach Creek are now juniors in high school.

        "Come along now, we do not wish to be late for our first day!" Double D proclaimed excitedly, practically bouncing up and down in place. Ed stood beside him with a dumbfounded expression on his face, staring straight up at a cloud that happened to be passing by up above.   
        "Look, Double D, a chicken!" he grabbed Edd's sleeve and tugged on it, nearly throwing the petite boy onto the ground. Edd had grown in the three years since the merry-go-round incident. Instead of a measly 5 foot 3 inches, he was now hovering around 5 foot 9 inches, which was a decent height for a junior in high school, though most of the boys he knew were still taller. Ed on the other hand had not changed at all, having hit his growth spurt when he was much younger. He was still around 6 feet tall, but thankfully his hygiene had improved significantly over the years, to the immense relief of everyone around him.    
        "My goodness, Ed, control yourself!" Edd chastised the boy, picking himself up gingerly and brushing the dirt off his knees. "Why yes, I suppose it does look like a bit like a chicken, you are correct," he conceded, looking up briefly at the cloud before looking around frantically. "Oh dear, Eddy was supposed to be here three minutes ago," he exclaimed with extreme agitation, then pulled out his iPhone, a gift from his mother for his sixteenth birthday just a few short months ago. 

        Eddward: Eddy, where are you currently located? We must depart at once if we are to make it to school on time!

        A brief moment passed during which Edd rocked back and forth nervously on his toes, then his phone buzzed. 

        Eddy: sry dude not gonna be there, am sick. Cya

        "Oh my, it looks as though Eddy has come down with something," Edd frowned, turning to his friend, who was munching on a piece of jerky he had pulled from his backpack. "We had better begin our trek." Ed nodded, looking sad at the news about his best friend's status, and the two began the twenty minute walk to the high school. Eddy was originally supposed to drive them, being the only one out of the three who had both a driver's license and access to a car, at least for the time being. Ed of course had neither, preferring to run aimlessly rather than actually decide on a destination and travel there. Edd was a little more fortunate, having his license already, but sorely lacking a car, a predicament which he intended to fix once he had a steady job.   
        During the walk to school, Ed was mostly silent, a rare state for him, but he doubted he could get a word in edgewise with how excited Double D was. He talked ceaselessly about his schedule, the advanced classes he was in (almost all of his classes were college level), and at one point he rambled about Einstein's Theory of Relativity for a good five minutes before he realized Ed was staring at him blankly. He cleared his throat awkwardly and offered a smile, a little embarrassed.   
        They turned one last corner and the high school came into view, much to Edd's delight. They neared the school and were almost to the last crosswalk before reaching the front entrance when a roar from behind them caught their attention. Kevin rounded the corner on his new red motorcycle, which was emitting a loud rumbling noise. Edd had seen him working on the machine during the summer, and he could tell Kevin was immensely proud of it.    
        "Move it, dorks!" Kevin shouted, which alerted those who were in the crosswalk that they needed to remove themselves from their location lest they lose a limb. Edd watched Kevin silently, following him with his eyes while he made his way to the junior/senior parking lot. Kevin put the kickstand down and swung his leg over the bike, removing his helmet as he did so. Kevin's hair had grown out over the summer, and his body had grown more muscular and trim. Edd constantly caught himself staring at the athletic seventeen year old, though the instant he realized Kevin was aware of his gaze he always cleared his throat and looked away.   
        "Double D?" Ed looked back at his friend. Edd had stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and his mouth hung open while he stared. "Double D? What are you looking at?" Ed poked Edd squarely in the forehead, making him sway and blink rapidly as he returned to the present moment.   
        "My apologies, Ed. I must have been...staring off into space..." Edd lied unconvincingly, avoiding his friend's worried look. Ed frowned then shrugged, and they continued their journey to the school's entrance. They walked in side by side, Ed telling Double D a silly story about his little sister, Sara. Apparently she had thrown a fit earlier that morning when her mother said she could not bring her new hamster to show her class, and refused to talk to her or Ed for the next hour. Edd grinned at the story, trying to clear his mind of Kevin, but failing miserably.   
        In freshman year, he had noticed something odd about the redhead. He had stopped wearing his red hat, for one. He had let his hair grow shaggy, which had definitely excited the girls who crushed on him frequently. He still hung around Nazz often, but everyone could tell that he was no longer interested in her; they had dated for two years in seventh and eighth grade but had broken up just before high school had started. Heartbroken, Nazz didn't leave her house for two weeks, but eventually became friends with him again. Sophomore year was even stranger, as Kevin had completely stopped bullying people, and even got mad at the jocks who picked on the other people in his grade. This newfound kindness gained him an influx of friends, along with a string of girls who were determined to get them to notice him. However, regardless of how many girls asked him out, his answer was consistently no, and by the end of sophomore year, his patience had worn thin. He seemed to have regained a few of his bully tendencies by the start of junior year. He had grown again over the summer, but that wasn't the only thing that had changed. His hair almost touched his shoulders, and he had gained muscle mass from all the sports he played. Baseball, football and soccer consumed his time, and he figured that if he did well enough in his sports, he could get a full ride without doing a single equation in the classroom. This mentality meant that he had been behind in his classes, nearly failing them at times but always getting them up so the school wouldn't have a reason to kick him off his teams.   
        Edd shook his head. Why was he thinking about Kevin? 'Pull yourself together, you are not gay,' he thought sternly to himself. 'You like girls, Eddward.' This fact was true: he and Marie had attempted a relationship halfway through sophomore year but had quickly realized their personalities were far too different to work. Shortly after, he had confessed to Nazz that he'd had a crush on her for many years, but had been heartily rejected, as she was dating one of the quarterbacks on the football team, though she gave him a smile and told him that she would have considered it had she been single. Edd frowned as he walked down the hallway to his locker. 'Goodness, Eddward, stop thinking about the past.' He waved goodbye to Ed, who had seen May and scampered after her. The two had been dating since the third week of freshman year, and Edd could not think of a cuter couple. 'Except for you and Kevin,' his mind teased, and Edd slammed his head against his locker, getting several stares as he did so.   
        Blushing, he quickly put in his combo. 16...09...42. The locker door swung open and he proceeded to put in his books and binders, meticulously organizing them by color, size, and class. His concentration was broken when the first bell rang, signaling the beginning of passing period, so he hurriedly closed the door to his locker and was about to make his way to class when he slammed into a person who was standing at the locker three over from his.  
        "My apologies, I certainly did not mean to cause you any trouble," Edd spouted off various apologies to whoever he bumped into, adjusting his beanie which had slipped sideways on his head.   
        "Naw, it's chill. Just look out, Double Dork," a familiar voice said. Edd's face flushed and he looked up into the jade green eyes of Kevin, who was picking up a book he had dropped on impact.   
        "O-oh dear. I sh-shall." Edd promised shakily and dashed off the way he came. His class was in the other direction, but his embarrassment outweighed his desire to get to class on time. "What is wrong with me," he muttered to himself as he walked. "You are a straight male, you like the opposite sex, stop thinking about the one person who not only would never give you the time of day, but also bullied you for years!" He continued thinking, his brain switching to autopilot, and he found himself at his first period class: AP Calculus. Edd was relieved. Math was just what he needed to get his mind off of Kevin. 

-One math class later-

        By the end of the class, Double D's hands had stopped shaking and he had completely forgotten about the embarrassing incident that had occurred not even an hour prior. The teacher had been rigorous, throwing review problems at them from the second the class began and assigning textbooks and book work to them within minutes of the bell signaling the start of class. Edd was in paradise. Math and science were his favorite classes, and regardless of the grumbling of his fellow classmates, he threw himself into the work and by the time class was over, he had finished all the work for that night on top of the assigned class work.   
        The rest of the day passed without much incident, though Edd was dreading the last class of the day: Physical Education. He was comforted by the fact that Ed was in the class with him, but this fact did not help steady his nerves as the gym teacher assigned lockers and ordered them to get changed. As he slipped into a pair of old gym shorts with atoms on it that he had owned since sixth grade but which somehow still fit, he was distracted by the sound of laughter from the other end of the row of lockers. He slowly turned with apprehension, and his worst fears were confirmed. Sure enough, Kevin was in the same class as him, and at the moment he happened to be topless. Edd stared. He simply couldn't help it, Kevin's skin was smooth and his muscles were even more pronounced underneath the fluorescent lights of the locker room. Edd seemed to be rooted to the floor, and his shirt fell from his grasp onto the bench next to the locker.   
        Edd snapped his attention back to his shirt. He gingerly picked it up, disgusted by the sheer amount of bacteria and other germs that had to be on it now, but he was more worried about getting out of that room as quickly as possible. He threw the shirt into his locker, resolving to give it a hearty cleaning later, and pulled on his gym shirt. He locked the locker then almost tripped over his own feet leaving the room. Ed was waiting outside the door and he beamed when he saw Edd.   
        "Double D! Guess what!" He seemed genuinely excited, and Edd smiled. After all these years Ed's constant energy still made him laugh.   
        "What is the cause of your excitement, my dear Ed?"   
        "May's giving me a present!" Ed clapped his hands together like a child receiving a new toy for Christmas.  
        "Why, that is quite excellent!" Edd proclaimed as they began walking to the field. "Did she happen to tell you what the present would be?"  
        Ed looked around excitedly, making sure nobody was around before he practically screamed in Edd's ear, "IT'S A CHICKEN DOUBLE D! SHE'S GETTING ME A CHICKEN!!" He started giggling uncontrollably with an exuberance Edd had never seen.   
        "What a marvelous gift, Ed! I'm very pleased for you!" Edd gave his best friend a wide gap-toothed smile as the tall boy began jumping up and down again in excitement. They had reached the field during their talk, and the teacher demanded that they stand in a line. They followed orders with haste, reluctant to anger the teacher on their first day. Once the class had lined up (Kevin sidling in last, Edd noticed), the gruff man introduced himself as Mr. Haygle, and said that any disrespect in his class would earn them ten laps around the field and fifty push-ups. Edd gulped, praying he never got on Haygle's bad side. The next fifteen minutes proceeded at a very slow rate, even for Edd. Haygle paced from one end of the line to the other, telling the children the rules of the class and instructions on how to play the game he had set up for them that day: Dodgeball. Edd gulped. He knew that dodgeball was his worst sport, and he was very likely to be knocked  out long before the period ended.  
        "Alright everybody, split up into teams and wait for the whistle!" The students complied and split themselves up, Kevin, Nazz, the jocks and Johnny 2X4 on one side of the field, Johnny clutching his trademark plank, and Ed, Double D and the other less athletic kids stood on the other, Edd trying his best to avoid looking at Kevin.   
        "THREE! TWO! ONE!" The sound of the whistle split the air and the dodgeballs began careening through the air. Edd focused his energy on trying not to get hit. He dodged one ball after another as Ed gleefully chucked ball after ball at the opposing team. Soon he had taken out half of the jocks, as well as Johnny and Nazz. The jocks began aiming at Ed, but he always seemed to catch the balls before they hit him, taking out another six people within the space of a minute.   
        "Double D, look, I'm a windmill!" Ed said joyfully, flinging more projectiles at the opposing team. In the split second that Edd turned his head to look, a rogue ball slammed into the side of his head and he lost consciousness. His world went black, and the last thing he remembered was the solid thunk of his head hitting the ground. 

        He woke up with Kevin at his side.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are going to start heating up soon enough, this chapter was just setting some stuff up and introducing the characters. Thanks again for reading!


	3. The Beginning of Something Special

"Oh heavens...My head..." Edd blinked repeatedly, his world slowly regaining color as he did so. "What happened..." he drawled blearily, staring at the shapes and colors above his face. 

"Hey..." A familiar voice whispered to him. "Are you okay Double D?" Edd shook his head, trying to convey his discomfort by groaning and attempting to lift his hand, but it appeared his body would not comply. A faint sound wheezed past his lips that almost, but not quite, sounded like 'Water'. Thankfully, whoever it was that was perched next to him understood and he felt a hand lift up his head seconds later and a bottle was pushed against his lips. Edd lapped at the water that trickled from the mouth until the hand set him down gently. 

"Wh-where am I?" Edd whispered, his voice raspy.

"You're in the nurse's office, I brought you here after you were knocked out." the voice replied. Edd managed to move his arm so it was over his eyes; the fluorescent light in the room was making his headache worse. 

"Knocked out?" 

"Yea, a ball hit you in the face dude. It was crazy, I'm surprised you're not bruised." 

"I apologize to trouble you but could you please turn off that abysmal light?" Edd asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice. Even with the arm blocking out a good portion of the light, what was trickling through his eyelids was more than enough to make his headache worsen into a full-fledged migraine.

"Oh, yea, hold on." Edd heard the rustling of clothes as whoever was in the room stood up, and the distinctive click of a light switch as the lights overhead turned off.

"Thank you, those lights were really beginning to bother me," Edd smiled, and he heard the person sit back down beside him.

"You're such a dork," the boy said with a hint of a smile in his voice, and suddenly it clicked. Kevin was sitting next to him, Kevin could see him in his weakened state, Kevin had turned off the lights at Edd's insistence. Edd blushed a deep shade of maroon, thankful the lights were off so that the boy next to him couldn't see his flushed cheeks. "You know, you really worried me back there," Kevin said quietly, almost so quiet that Edd couldn't hear him, then fell silent again, as though waiting for a response.

Edd removed his arm and turned onto his side to face the redhead. "Why?"

Even in the dark he could tell Kevin was refusing to look at him. "N-no reason. Just I've had concussions before. They're a bitch. Gotta ice them a lot." He said all this far too forcefully, leaning back in his chair as nonchalantly as he could, but to no avail. Edd could tell this was not what he wanted to say, but his splitting headache prevented him from elaborating further on the manner, so he asked the first question that came to his mind. 

"Um...where's the nurse?" He had noticed how strange it was that Ms. Bellwether was nowhere to be seen, as she rarely left her post at the desk.

"Oh...she left a while ago," Kevin admitted. "School ended about 45 minutes ago. I offered to stay here to make sure you were okay." He continued to avoid Edd's gaze up until the last three words, but when he noticed Edd staring at him with his mouth wide open in astonishment, he looked down at his shoes. "Sorry, I sound like a total gaybo," Kevin muttered, and Edd forced himself to close his mouth. 

"N-no, you don't. I'm just...surprised." Edd admitted this with a little bit of hesitance, unable to think as cleary thanks to the migraine that had developed since he woke up. 

"Surprised? What do you have to be surprised about, Double Dork?"

Edd smiled calmly at the nickname. "I'm surprised you abandoned your favorite class to watch over a stupid nerd, and I'm also surprised that you continued to look after said nerd for almost an hour after your school day ended." 

"It's chill, dude, don't worry 'bout it. I was just playing games on my phone." Kevin shrugged. "'Sides...you looked kinda...cute...when you were passed out..." He blushed a shade of crimson that Edd was sure had never been seen in nature before and covered his face with his hands, attempting to hide himself from view. Edd was unsure what to say. He knew he held some feelings of fondness for the boy, and that fondness had grown into something a little more powerful since they started high school at Peach Creek High. However, he had not realized until this moment just how attractive he found Kevin to be. With the athlete sitting before him, attempting to shield himself from view of Edd's prying eyes, he finally realized that his constant talks to himself were wrong. He may not be entirely gay, but damn if he didn't find Kevin to be insanely attractive. 

"K-Kevin...?" Edd finally asked after a few moments of stunned silence. 

"Yes?" Came the muffled response from behind the athlete's hands.

"Please look at me." Edd pleaded softly. Kevin shook his head behind his hands. "Kevin." Edd said again, this time a little more firmly. "Look at me. Please." 

After a moment of silence in which neither of them moved, Kevin finally complied, removing his hands slowly from his flushed cheeks and hesitantly meeting Edd's eyes. To his surprise, Edd was smiling. He had expected Edd to be mad, furious even, or call him a fag like the other boys would have if he had told them something similar. Edd leaned forward, and for a moment, Kevin thought he was going to kiss him, and his heart almost stopped beating. However, this was not the case, as proven by the petite arms wrapping around his shoulders. Kevin froze, his spine stiffened and he felt as though his lungs had stopped working. 

"Did you mean it?" A soft whisper from Eddward came from just behind his ear. The smaller boy's chin was resting on Kevin's shoulder, and Kevin could feel his heart beating through the thin fabric of his gym shirt. 

Kevin sighed heavily, then wrapped his arms around Edd's waist. "If you tell anyone anything I'll kill you." Another pause. His arms tightened around the other boy. Edd smiled broadly into his shoulder, enjoying the squeeze the taller boy was giving him, but afraid to say anything else lest he ruin the moment. Thankfully, Kevin started talking again, making him feel less awkward.

"Look, Double Dor-...Double D. This is really difficult for me. I've never liked another guy before. Ever. I don't know if I'm gay or if I even like dudes. I like chicks, right? I just...oh how do I explain this..." Kevin rested his forehead on Edd's shoulder. Edd continued listening patiently, not even daring to breathe for fear he would miss a word of what Kevin was saying. He took a shaky breath and forced it out of his lungs before continuing. "Please don't tell anyone that I think you're cute, I'll be slaughtered if they knew..." His body began trembling, shaking slightly in Edd's arms. "Oh shit..." He laughed. "I just realized I told you my feelings and didn't even bother to ask you if you felt even a tiny bit the same way. Oh well, I guess it doesn't matter much, just don't tell anyone. Dork." He added the last bit on in an affectionate tone, making Edd blush lightly. 

Double D pulled away, releasing his arms from the shaky teenager. Kevin seemed close to a nervous breakdown. Edd had never seen Kevin in a state like this before. He was always so cool, so calm and collected, and that was what Edd admired about him. But here he was, acting like a toddler who just broke his mother's favorite vase, and Double D had never found him this cute before. 

Edd stared at Kevin's flushed face for a moment. "If I ask you a question, will you answer it honestly?"

"Y-yea, 'course, D." 

"If I were to...ahem...engage in...osculation, how would you respond?" Edd looked up at Kevin expectantly, only to receive a blank stare in return. 

"English please?" 

"S-sorry. Osculation is the-" Edd cleared his throat nervously. "The act of kissing.." He laced his fingers together and rubbed his wrist with a shaking thumb. The redhead continued to stare. He hadn't expected the petite teen to make the first move. The probability of that happening, or even of Edd liking him, had seemed next to none. Yet here he was in the darkened nurse's office, gazing at the boy that had just suggested...Kevin blushed when the image flashed in his mind. Their lips pressing together...Edd reaching up to cling onto his shoulders...Kevin holding Edd's face in his hands as they moved closer... Kevin's heart skipped a beat and his breath caught in his throat. 

"Uh..." Kevin's strangled voice made Edd look up in curiosity. He had never heard him sound so nervous before. As they stared into each other's eyes, the smaller boy's face began to heat up as well, nearly matching the shade of Kevin's cheeks. "I...ahem. I think I would...um..." Kevin rubbed the back of his neck nervously, preferring to glare at a patch of floor instead of Edd. "Be okay with that..." his voice trailed into a whisper, and he dared to look at the other boy. To his surprise, Edd had broken into a grin.

"I'm glad that is how you feel," Edd replied. Kevin thought he was going to do so, based on their conversation, but he merely sat back and rubbed his temples, resting his back against the wall. "Curse this infernal migraine," he muttered, closing his eyes. Kevin stared at him. Even with his face contorted in pain, the beanie-clad boy was, for lack of a better word, cute. 

Kevin cleared his throat. "You should probably change," he suggested quietly. "Haygle gave me the keys to the locker room." He fished the aforesaid keys out of his pocket and held them out. Edd removed his hands from his temples and smiled at the obviously flustered athlete before him. 

"Come with me," he requested, and pushed the keys away gently. "I doubt my equilibrium will hold when i stand," he grinned and slid himself over to the edge of the cot. Kevin held out a hand, shoving the keys back into his pocket with the other. Edd gratefully took the offered appendage, and Kevin pulled him up. As Edd had anticipated, he was highly unsteady on his feet and he stumbled right into the taller boy's chest. "M-my apologies..." he looked up into the other's bright green eyes. They stared into each other's eyes for a few moments, unsure what to do next. The tension between the two was astronomical in size and weight. 

"...Here." Kevin grabbed Edd's arm and helped him stand properly, blushing profusely. He was glad the shorter boy couldn't read his mind, as he had been struggling to keep himself from pulling Edd in closer and planting a gentle kiss on those pale lips. Edd's cheeks too were an unsightly shade of red. He could sense Kevin's burning desire, and wished to reciprocate it, but he felt as though it were an inopportune moment. 

The two boys left the office and walked back to the locker room together. The distance was not great, much to Edd's relief, as his head was still foggy from the newly inflicted concussion. Kevin propped Edd up against a wall, groping for the keys and searching through them to find the correct one. Edd watched him silently, recalling the moment they had shared just brief moments ago, but his thoughts were interrupted by a soft 'Ah-ha' as Kevin located the correct key. Edd dragged himself into a standing position, groaning as his head pounded. It felt like there was a small man standing inside and beating his brain repeatedly with a sharp stick. Kevin noticed the discomfort and situated the brunette's arm on his shoulder once again. 

Edd pointed out the locker and gruffly muttered the combo, plopping down onto the bench as Kevin opened his locker. "Thank you very much. I don't suppose there happen to be pain medications of any sort in the general vicinity?" 

"Yea, Coach should have some Tylenol in his office. Be right back." Kevin made his way over to the office on the far end of the row, leaving Edd alone again. He was honestly thankful to be alone, as he didn't want the redhead to see him change back into his normal clothes. He gruffly tugged off the ratty gym shirt and his atomic shorts, taking care to fold them before pulling on his regular orange V-neck and purple cargo shorts. By the time he had completed his task, Kevin had returned with two Dixie cups, one full of water and two small pills in another. 

Edd took them from him gratefully and swallowed the pills. Kevin took the cups from him once he had finished and moved to throw them away in the trash can next to the door. Edd removed his backpack from the metal locker, setting it on the bench, then shut his locker with a click, taking care to set the dial to 0. Kevin leaned against the locker next to him, having tossed the cups in the garbage. "How's the head?"

"I seem to be regaining a portion of my balance, I should be better promptly" Edd assured him, smiling up at the redhead. Kevin flashed him a smile. 

"That's what I like to hear, dork." Edd reached for his backpack, preparing to stand once again, but Kevin swiftly snatched it from the bench and held out a hand. "C'mon. I'll take you home." 

"No, I couldn't possibly let you do that." Edd shook his head fervently. 

"I insist." Kevin smiled softly, grabbing Edd's chin and making him look at him. "It's okay dude. Really." He grinned again. 'I could...no, I couldn't.' Kevin blushed, and Edd noticed the pink flush on his cheeks. "Goddammit." Kevin muttered, letting go of Edd's face and covering his face with his hands again. 

Edd blushed as well, looking over to a random locker and clearing his throat nervously. "Shall we?"

"Y-yea." Kevin pushed himself off the locker hurriedly and proceeded to march out of the locker room, throwing the keys onto the gym teacher's desk in the process. Edd rushed after him, knowing better than to attempt to get Kevin to talk to him. His mind was also reeling. The desire for Kevin to push him against a locker and kiss him had been so strong in that moment, he had stopped breathing. It was a good thing the athlete was currently holding his backpack, since Double D was unsure if he would have been able to walk in a straight line with any extra weight, considering how preoccupied his thoughts were. 'Fuck...I've got it bad...' Edd thought to himself, staring at Kevin's shoulders. His walk was more of a swagger, as Kevin's feet were a little pigeon-toed, but Edd didn't mind. He thought it was a cute feature. 

Edd slammed into a pole. He hadn't meant to, he'd just been staring at the taller boy's feet thoughtfully, thinking about various orthotics that could adjust his stride and perhaps prevent future knee injury. 

"Oww..." he groaned, holding up a hand to his forehead. Edd did not know if it was possible to get two concussions in one day, but the severe pounding in his head certainly suggested it was possible. 

"Oh shit!" He heard Kevin cry, and heard him rush over, dropping Edd's pack and his own on the floor as he skidded into place next to Edd. "Dude are you ok?" He grabbed Edd's hand and forced him to move it aside so he could inspect the visible damage. "Ouch, that's gonna bruise pretty bad." Edd winced again and tried to shake him off. 

"This doesn't tend to happen normally...I usually have a little bit more grace than this," Edd laughed half-heartedly as he prodded the area with his fingers. "Please take me home before I lose consciousness again." Kevin nodded in agreement, snatching the backpacks from the floor and making Edd walk in front of him so he could keep an eye on the injured boy. When they got to the parking lot, Edd suddenly realized an error in their plan. "You have a motorcycle."

"No shit, Sherlock." Kevin grabbed his helmet from the saddle bag and put it on, tightening the strap under his chin, then lifting the visor so they could speak. "What's the matter?" he asked as he noticed Edd's petrified face. 

"It's dangerous!" Edd proclaimed. I'll have to hold onto him... 

"Dude, it's cool, just hang on really tight. Here, I've got a spare helmet." Kevin reached into the other saddlebag and pulled out another helmet, this one a bright blue. "Sorry, it's Nazz's. But it'll keep you safe." He tossed it to Edd, who barely managed to catch it before Kevin turned back to shove the backpacks into the saddlebags. 

"But...the exposure...the burns...the possibility of crashing is so much higher!" Edd's voice increased in pitch as he went through his spiel, and Kevin could tell he was really worried. He removed his helmet and put it on the seat. 

"Come here." He stepped forward and pulled Edd into a hug, almost causing him to drop the helmet. "It's okay. I won't let anything happen to you. I promise." He pulled back slightly, looking down at the terrified boy before him. 'God he's so fucking cute.' "I-I'm sorry..." Kevin muttered, and hastily pressed his lips against Edd's. 

Edd had no idea what to think. 'KEVIN IS KISSING ME!' He screamed in his head, unable to move. His back was straight and stiff, his arms by his sides and his eyes wide open. 

Kevin pulled away slowly, his eyes closed and his face a marvelous shade of bright red. He cleared his throat, then opened his eyes, staring at his shoes as he withdrew his arms. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that. I'll take you home now." He tugged on the helmet again, then swung his leg over, pulled on the handlebars so the motorcycle was upright, and nudged the kickstand upwards with his foot. 

Edd was still in shock. His greatest fantasy had just come true. Kevin had just kissed him. Holy shit. He allowed himself the use of profanity this one time; he deemed it was appropriate at the moment. 

"Hey, you coming?" Kevin had turned back to Edd, who was still just standing there. 

"Y-yes, my apologies." Edd quickly pulled on the helmet, tightened the chin strap and awkwardly attempted to copy the move Kevin had completed earlier. He did not manage to accomplish the task gracefully, but at least he didn't hit his head again. 

"Cool." Kevin revved the engine. "Hold on tight to me, keep your legs away from the pipes. There are rests for your feet there too, I recommend you use them unless you want some killer leg muscles." Edd grinned at this statement, placing his feet on the holds and wrapping his arms around Kevin loosely. Kevin pulled a pair of fingerless motorcycle gloves out of the pocket of his jacket and slid them on. He put one of his feet up and used the other to kick off as he twisted the handle and the bike jumped to life below them. Edd squeaked in fear and clutched Kevin's waist in fear as they took off. 

The ride couldn't have been more than five minutes, but it felt to Edd more like five hours. The entire time he clung to Kevin's waist, unable to restrain his fear, especially on the corners. Every time Kevin took a turn too sharply or too fast, Edd grabbed on tighter and leaned as far in the opposite direction as possible. He could feel Kevin laughing every time it happened, although he could not find the humor in the situation. By the time they finally arrived in Edd's driveway, Edd's knuckles were white, and he anxiously scampered off the bike the second the kickstand was down, ripping the helmet off and glaring at Kevin. 

"That. Was. Positively horrific. Never again," Edd gasped, placing his hands on his knees and bending over, panting. Kevin could not stop laughing as he pulled off his helmet and leaned against the handlebars, his shoulders shaking with laughter. Edd tried to keep his composure but couldn't help it. He cracked up as well, sitting down on his driveway and laughing until his eyes were watering. Kevin swung his leg over the bike and tugged Edd's backpack out of the saddle bag. His eyes were also streaming with tears of amusement, and a smile still curled his lips. 

"That was fucking hilarious," Kevin smirked, handing Edd the backpack and helping him up once more. Edd stuck out his tongue and Kevin's smile grew, then ceased to exist altogether. "So...I guess I'll see you later then?" Kevin rubbed the back of his neck nervously. 

"Y-yes, I suppose so." Edd's smile also left his face, and he clutched his backpack to his chest. 

"I mean...unless you want me to stay," Kevin suggested shyly.

Edd's face lit up. "That would be...wonderful." He fought to keep his smile under control. "I feel it is necessary as well. F-for safety reasons. I mean, the concussion...oh goodness I'm blabbering." He handed the blue helmet back to Kevin. 

"Sweet, I'll be back in ten. Just gotta put my baby away," Kevin pointed at his motorcycle. 

Edd smiled. "I shall see you in ten minutes then." 

"See ya."

"Until then."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things are finally heating up! 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading! I should be updating within a week, just gotta plow through some essays first.


	4. What Now?

        Kevin's mind was reeling. He had just kissed Eddward Vincent. And driven him home. He had been unable to keep himself from laughing when Edd had clung to him in fear. For some reason the sound of him screaming had been hilarious to him and the feeling of his chest against his back every time it happened made him only want to scare him more. The small boy's figure was thin but oddly muscular. He figured it must have been from the antics that he had been forced to partake in when they were in junior high.  
        Thankfully Eddy, the stupid bald asshole, had more or less stopped his antics after the summer between junior high and the start of high school. He seemed to have finally understood that his scams weren't getting him anywhere and that he needed to cease and desist. Another year after that, he and his family had left the cul-de-sac. This had made Kevin insanely happy, as he had always hated the tiny twerp. He always would hang around Edd, making it almost impossible for Kevin to get near to him without him and the short menace getting into a scuffle. However, much to his annoyance, Eddy's family had moved back again towards the end of sophomore year. Apparently his father had only been relocated for a few months.

        Kevin growled in the back of his throat as he opened the garage door. Even thinking about Eddy made him furious. He pushed his bike into the space in the garage that wasn't completely filled with jawbreakers. His father still worked at the factory so the amount of jawbreakers over the years had only grown. At one point he had sold a large portion of them, nearly removing a good two feet of sugary candy from the pile, but it had been quickly replaced. He himself wasn't a fan, but the other members of his neighborhood couldn't get enough of them, especially the stupid stunted child of a boy he despised. 

        Fuming, Kevin closed the garage door. He resolved to stop thinking about Eddy. He needed to cease his vendetta for a few brief hours while he took care of Double D. 'Double D.' The name made his heart skip a beat. While he hurried upstairs to drop his backpack on his unmade bed and jump into the shower for a quick wash, he thought about the dark haired boy. The way his eyes sparkled when he talked about things he was passionate about. That adorable gap-toothed smile. The way he made even the most annoying subjects seem fun.  
               Back in freshman year, he had done a presentation in their shared English class on the history of some royal family in Russia that he couldn't remember the name of, but one thing Kevin could remember was how entranced he had been while Edd talked about the sudden disappearance of the family's daughter, Anastasia. Kevin ran his hands through his hair as he tried to remember the name of the family. Rosenhof? Romaine? Random? Romanoff? Yea. That was it. 

        He looked at the clock that was on the counter in the bathroom and with a shock realized he only had three minutes to dry off, get dressed and dash across the street to Double D's house. He turned off the water, grabbed a towel and rubbed his hair with it, then wrapped it around his waist and went back to his room to rummage through his closet for something clean. He settled on a black shirt with the band 'Def Leppard' scrawled across it in white font, a pair of khakis that were a little loose in the calves and a red hoodie. He tugged them on and threw the towel in the basket his mother left on his floor for dirty clothes before pulling on socks and his dirty orange and grey athletic shoes. He picked his phone up from the table and texted a quick message to his mother . 

        Kevin: I'm going 2 a friends house 4 a few hrs. Idk when I'll be home. 

        He slid the phone into his pocket and made his way downstairs. He was halfway out the door before a ding from his phone indicated that his mother had texted back.

        Mom: Alright sweetie. Text me if you plan on staying the night. 

        Kevin smiled and returned his phone to the pocket, then shut the front door and locked it. He dashed across the street, skidding to a stop before Edd's door so he could regain his composure before he knocked. He was nervous, but excited. He raised his hand to shoulder height and knocked three times as loudly as he could. 'Here goes nothing,' he thought. 

 

        Edd heard three knocks in quick succession on the front door and nearly killed himself as he skidded down the stairs to answer it. He had been daydreaming about the redhead ever since he got home. The soft feel of Kevin's lips as he pressed them against his. The feeling of his back pressed against Edd's chest. God he wished he could be with him. He wished that he knew how Kevin felt about him. What had those kisses meant? The thoughts in his head swirled like a whirlwind, and by the time he heard the knocks on the door, his head was hurting from the confusion. 

        He grabbed the doorknob and turned, looking at the boy in front of him with his lips parted. "H-hello, Kevin," he said, smiling softly at the redhead. The boy's hair was wet, and the hoodie he was wearing was snug around his shoulders, showing off how broad they were. 

        Kevin's face lit up the second he saw the beanie-clad boy. Edd had changed his clothes as well, trading out the orange t-shirt for a dark blue sweater, and his oddly-colored shorts for a pair of jeans that were snug around his hips. "Hey, Double-D."

        Edd stood to the side of the doorway so Kevin could enter the house. "Come in. Take off your shoes, please," he instructed, and Kevin obliged, slipping off the gym shoes and placing them in the spot Edd gestured to. Edd walked to the living room, Kevin trailing behind. "Would you like anything to drink?" Edd asked the taller boy, who frowned. 

        "Sit down. You're going to make your concussion worse," he reprimanded the dark-haired boy gently. Edd opened his mouth to protest, but the glare Kevin shot him made him shut up and sit on the smaller of the two couches in the room. Kevin smiled approvingly. "That's better. Stay there. I'll order something for us to eat." Edd blushed faintly and nodded. 

        "There are twenty dollars on the counter in the kitchen," Edd informed him and Kevin nodded, punching in the number for a local pizza place. When he had finished ordering, he put his phone in his pocket and sat down on the other couch, which happened to be on the other side of a coffee table from the couch on which Edd was perched, looking uncomfortable and embarrassed. While Kevin had been talking with the man on the other end of the phone, Edd had stared at the other, tracing the curve of his body with his eyes.  
        Kevin had a chiseled jaw, which greatly offset his kind eyes, and a rather muscular body from all the years of physical activity. His hands in particular fascinated the younger boy. His fingers were long, with calluses on the fingertips, and there were more on his palms. There were veins on the backs of his hands that were slightly raised, and his fingernails were short, but well taken care of, not broken off like the other athletes' fingernails often were.

        Kevin's voice interrupted his thoughts. "How's your head?" Edd looked up, startled. 

        "Oh! It is alright. As well as it could be with a concussion, I suppose," Edd grinned shyly, caught off guard by the sudden interruption of his careful examination. 

        Kevin grinned back, his heart fluttering. He simply couldn't get enough of the black-haired boy sitting in front of him, with his adorable gap-toothed smile and bright blue eyes. Edd noticed a slight blush tinge Kevin's cheeks and he cleared his throat, looking at his hands. "I have a question..." he said quietly. Kevin looked at him warily. The tone with which Edd spoke did not seem inviting. 

        "Go ahead."

        "Wh-why did you...umm...you know..." Edd gestured to his lips and whispered the last two words. "...kiss me?"  

        Kevin's face turned a shade of pink that would make a lobster envious. He stared at Edd for a moment, then relaxed a bit and sighed. "Look, you might find this a little strange but...I really like you." He looked away, unable to hold Edd's gaze. "I have for a while actually. I mean, I've never liked Eddy, and Ed kinda annoys me too, but I could never bring myself to hate you. Then sometime around freshman year I realized how cool I thought you were. You could keep me captivated by even the most boring things. It made me feel awful for the way I treated you back then." He cleared his throat awkwardly then continued. "I...guess what I'm trying to say is that...I have feelings for you, Double D. Feelings that I shouldn't have. Feelings that would get me killed if any of my friends knew. But I can't get rid of them. And I know you probably don't feel the same way but...yea." By the end of his speech he felt ready to cry, and he choked out the last part as he looked up at the boy in front of him. He expected Edd to be looking at him with hatred or even pity but instead the smaller boy had tears in his eyes. "S-sorry..." Kevin whispered. 

        "Whatever for?" Edd asked, and Kevin could hear the joy behind his words. "I never would have dreamed that my feelings were reciprocated!" Edd burst into tears, but he was smiling so widely they couldn't have been tears of sorrow. 

        He wiped away his tears, then reached across the coffee table and took the redhead's hand. "I like you too. I have since freshman year, but was afraid if I confessed, you would not hesitate to give me a beating." Kevin looked down in shame. He felt awful that he had made Edd feel that way, even though he was right. He would've been forced to beat Edd up, trying to keep his reputation intact and keep others from calling him a fag. 

        "I'm so sorry, Double D. I should have tried to tell you sooner. But I was afraid. And stupid. And shy. I promise I'll do better. I want to protect you from the jerks who bully you, and make sure something like what happened in gym doesn't happen again..." his voice trailed off as Edd stood up and pressed a kiss to his lips softly. Edd's lips were warm and soft and Kevin let himself sink into the kiss happily, the events of the day forgotten as their lips molded together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hoped you like this chapter! I know it's a little shorter than usual but I like the way it turned out. I'll be adding another chapter soon enough! I'm really astonished with the amount of attention this story has been getting. You guys are awesome! I'd love any suggestions or recommendations you have, and thank you again for supporting me :)


	5. Coming to Terms

        After the sweet kiss Kevin and Edd shared, they sat on the couch for a while, getting to know each other better. Kevin learned that Edd loved traveling, though he had only been out of the country once, and Edd was surprised to find out that Kevin was fluent in two languages. Kevin was shy about this fact, as he had never told anyone before, but when Eddward began pestering him about what language it was, he finally relented and told him it was Spanish. Apparently his mother had been born there and lived there for almost fifteen years, though her parents were both Irish, hence the bright red hair. Edd was amused by his story, and was about to tell him so, but the doorbell rang and Kevin hopped up to answer it.   
        The two boys chowed down on the pizza hungrily, devouring almost the entire box in less than a half hour. Kevin suggested they watch something on the television and Edd agreed, turning on the TV and switching to a documentary on penguins. Kevin tried to protest but was shushed by Edd, who was already wrapped up in the show. Kevin sighed but watched it with him, and was pleasantly surprised to learn that he actually was enjoying himself.   
        After the documentary ended, another about astronomy came on and Edd was so excited, Kevin couldn't help but crack up laughing. He thought the other was positively adorable, and told him so. Edd turned a shade of maroon and hid behind the collar of his sweater. Kevin kissed his forehead gently and told him to stop hiding. Edd shook his head fervently and Kevin gave up, grinning.   
        Kevin's mother texted him towards the end of the second documentary.

        Mom: Hey, just checking in. Are you planning on staying over?

        Kevin glanced down at his phone and blushed, looking up at Edd. "Hey, mom's wondering if I'm staying the night. What do you think? Is your concussion that bad?"   
        Edd blushed again and shook his head, but added "It is really up to you. I have extra blankets if you wish to stay. I would not object if you wished to..." he admitted shyly and Kevin nodded, smiling as he typed a message into his phone. 

        Kevin: Yea, I'm staying

        It only took his mother around ten seconds to text back.   
        
        Mom: Alright, darling. Try to be back home around noon tomorrow. You have chores. 

        Kevin rolled his eyes but smiled anyways, turning his phone off and redirecting his attention to the documentary. Edd was completely wrapped up in it, and sometimes added little trivia facts about the planets in between the narration about the solar system. The redhead grinned. Edd was simply too adorable to be true. He wished yet again that he had not been so cruel to him when they were children, but knew that the past could not be changed. He resolved to keep to the promise he had offered Edd earlier, to protect him at all costs.  
        He sighed happily and leaned against the arm of the couch, taking a sip of the smoothie Edd had insisted on making earlier during the break between the documentaries. Kevin had been hesitant about letting him stand up and make it, but he had relented when the other pointed out that he didn't know the way around the kitchen. Regardless of his wanting the smaller boy to be more careful, the smoothie was really good.   
        He looked over at Edd, who was sitting on the couch. The other boy's face was illuminated by the light from the TV, and he took a sip of chai from the mug in his hands. Noticing Kevin looking up at him from the floor, he blushed and waved. Kevin grinned and waved back playfully. Edd stuck his tongue out the other just as playfully and Kevin set his smoothie on the table so he could lunge at the smaller boy, planting a firm kiss on his lips. Edd realized just in time what he was doing and put his mug down too. He then protested, but his words were muffled by the athlete's lips.  
        Kevin kept himself there for a moment, putting his hand gently on the smaller boy's face as the other put his hands on his shoulders. The redhead was reluctant to pull away, but his aching lungs forced him too, and he sat on the couch opposite Edd, who was equally breathless. The small boy's face was red, and Kevin was sure his was too. "Fuck..." he breathed. Edd laughed.  
        "Language, mister," he reprimanded, though Kevin knew he wasn't really mad.   
        "Hey...I have a question for ya."  
        "Y-yes? What is it?" Edd was apprehensive, taken aback by the sudden change in the other's expression.  
        "Do you think we are moving too fast? I mean... We haven't even really talked since middle school and now we are making out on your couch and I don't know what to think, you drive me crazy and I just can't think straight around you-" Kevin's babbling was cut off by a finger on his lips. He looked up at Edd's soft expression with a worried look of his own.   
        "Calm yourself, Kevin. To answer your question: perhaps. But I feel as though we have been granted an opportunity and it would be unwise to refuse it. Besides..." he blushed. "You make it difficult for me to think as well..."   
        "God you're so cute," Kevin said, taking the hand that had just been on his lips and pulling Edd into a tight embrace. Edd relaxed into the other boy's chest and wrapped his arms around his waist. Kevin looked at the boy tucked against his chest. His beanie was securely in place as usual, with little dark strands of hair peeking out from underneath the bottom, starkly contrasting with his pale skin. His skinny arms were wrapped around him, connected to slender shoulders, and his petite face was resting on the athlete's chest, right over his heart. Kevin laid his head contentedly on top of Edd's, and the younger one smiled happily. They stayed that way for a while, and when Kevin looked down again, he noticed that Edd was fast asleep in his arms. He smiled, careful not to wake him, and drifted off as well.   
        Several hours later, Edd woke up, unsure where he was or who he was sleeping next to. He looked around with sleepy eyes before realizing he was in his living room, and the person next to him was Kevin. The ginger's hair was messy, some of it was stuck to the back of the couch behind him, and one strand was flat against his forehead. Edd smoothed it away with a finger carefully, trying to make sure he didn't wake the sleeping redhead. His eyes traveled down to Kevin's eyelashes, which were laying softly against his freckled cheeks, and his lips, parted gently as he snoozed. He had never seen the athlete look so relaxed before. Edd smiled and kissed him gently on the cheek, then slid out of his arms and made his way to the restroom.   
        Back in the living room, the other boy stirred, making a movement to draw Edd closer, but finding there was nobody there, his eyes shot open and he sat up abruptly, making himself dizzy. He swung his head from side to side, searching for Edd, wondering where he'd gone and feeling rather lonely. He leaned back on the couch, rubbing his eyes. For some reason his head really hurt, and it was pissing him off. The lack of the lovable dork only made it worse.   
        While he was rubbing his eyes, Edd walked back into the room, running a brush through his hair. Kevin heard footsteps and removed his hands from his face, only to gasp in shock. The boy didn't have his beanie on and all of a sudden Kevin saw why he was so fussy about it being removed or adjusted by anyone other than him. There was a large scar running from just above his right eyebrow to a spot right next to his ear.   
        Edd heard the gasp and swung his head around, dropping the brush and covering the scar as fast as he could with his hands, a dark flush creeping onto his cheeks and neck. "D-don't look..." he stuttered, backing against the wall and turning away from Kevin so his scar wouldn't be visible, even without his hands. Kevin stood up, hurrying over to his crush, grabbing his chin and making him look into his green eyes. He pressed a soft kiss to Edd's lips.   
        "Don't hide yourself from me," he whispered, taking Edd's hands gently and pulling them away, running his eyes over the scar. "Does it hurt?" He asked, and Edd shook his head, looking down at the floor with tears in his eyes.   
        "I've had it since I was young..." Edd admitted.  
        "What happened?" Kevin tore his gaze away so he could look at the shorter boy's eyes.  
        "C-car crash." Edd said, his nervousness making him stutter. Nobody had ever seen his scar other than his mother and father, unless he counted Ed and Eddy's brief view of it when his hat had been ripped from his head all those years ago. Now his childhood bully was staring at it outright with a look of such tender concern it nearly broke Edd's heart to see.   
        "I'm so sorry, Double D..." Kevin pulled him into a hug, careful to avoid touching the spot where the scar resided. Edd didn't struggle, merely accepting the embrace and wrapping his arms around the muscular seventeen year old.   
        Kevin stood with his arms around Edd, holding back tears. Seeing the dark tissue of the scar on the boy's head made his heart break. He had teased him relentlessly about the beanie when they were younger, he had no idea that this was why, and he was mentally kicking himself yet again. "I'm sorry..." he repeated the words and Edd pulled away to smile at him.   
        "It's not your fault."  
        "I was such an ass..." Kevin frowned down at the smaller boy.          
        "You couldn't have known."  
        "I wish I had." Kevin kissed Edd gently, trying to convey how sorry he was. Edd kissed him back, reaching his arms around the older boy's shoulders and deepening the kiss. Kevin was surprised at the initiative he had taken, but didn't complain, placing his hands on the other's waist and drawing him in closer. He'd never felt this close to anyone before, not even Nazz, who he'd been best friends with for years and even dated for a time. A small whine came from Edd, which made Kevin smile and pull him closer. Their lips moved together in a perfect dance, each trying to learn the other's motions and exploring each other's mouths. Kevin's tongue darted out to run against Edd's lips, making him shiver and let out another whine. Kevin groaned softly, then pushed the boy against the wall and bit his bottom lip softly, drawing out another small noise.   
        Kevin pulled back, panting hard as he stared into the clear blue eyes of the shorter teen. If Edd knew what was on his mind, he doubted that he would ever let him back into his house. He cleared his throat and stepped back, glancing away from Edd as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, the other one shoved into his pocket.   
        Edd stared at Kevin, breathing heavily. His face was burning, and he was sure his cheeks were almost fuchsia in color. "I-I'm going to t-take a sh-shower," he said, stuttering. Kevin nodded, not looking at him and walked back to the couch. Edd remained in place for another moment, then made his way upstairs. Kevin heard the water turn on and, moments later, the sound of singing. He giggled. Of course Edd sang in the shower.   
        'Oh god, what's happening to me,' Kevin thought. He had never been this flustered before. Ever. Sure, he'd been nervous around people, he'd liked a few girls, and he had even gotten to second base a few times, but he had always been able to think somewhat clearly. Around Edd, his head was fuzzy all the time. He couldn't think. His blue eyes, his lips, his smile, everything made his heart pound. 'Come on, you stupid idiot.' Kevin reprimanded himself. 'Get over it, he's just another dude. Be cool, Kevin.' But deep down, he knew. He was falling for Edd, and he was falling hard. He didn't want anyone else to have him, and even the thought of someone else other than him touching the dork made his heart hurt.   
        Upstairs, Edd was thinking more or less the same thing. His entire body was shaking from nerves, and he didn't know how to feel. He had known he liked Kevin for a long time, but that kiss was so full of passion it had made his knees weak. He covered his face with his hands, letting the warm water run over him as he sighed heavily. He knew that Kevin wouldn't ask him to be his, but he really wished he would. However, the probability of that happening was close to zero. Even Kevin would be unable to fight back against all the people who would attempt to hurt them. Even though Peach Creek was a progressive place scientifically, the mentality had not advanced enough to accept people like him. Edd sighed again and turned off the water, taking a clean towel off the pile on the counter and drying himself carefully.   
        Kevin heard the water turn off and tried to clear his head. He took the now empty pizza box off the table and put it in the trash can, staring at one of the sticky notes on the fridge. It read 'Don't forget to buy blueberries. -Mom." Kevin smiled softly. He understood what it was like to not have a parent around, as his were constantly away. At least they bought groceries so he wouldn't have to, but he rarely saw them. He sighed and returned to his position on the couch, laying back and throwing an arm over his eyes.   
        Edd finished drying off and hung the towel up to dry. He would remember to clean it later. In the meantime, he had to get dressed. He chose a plain black sweater and a pair of dark blue shorts, then pulled another beanie on. Even if Kevin accepted him for who he was, the thought of showing his scar to the world made him nervous. He made his way downstairs, then paused at the bottom of the stairs. From his position, he could see Kevin, who had his arm slung over his eyes. His mouth was moving, and Edd inched closer so he could hear what he was saying.   
"Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am home again. Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am whole again..." Kevin was singing softly, and the lyrics made Edd blush. He didn't know the song, but Kevin's soft baritone voice fit the song perfectly. Edd crept into the room and sat on the opposite couch, listening to Kevin singing. "Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am young again. Whenever I'm alone with you, you make me feel like I am fun again..." Kevin took a deep breath then continued. His voice sounded almost choked as he sang the chorus. "However far away, I will always love you. However long I stay, I will always love you. Whatever words I say, I will always love you...I will always love you."   
        On the second 'I will always love you', Kevin removed his arm from his face and stared at the ceiling. "That was wonderful," Edd whispered and Kevin jumped.   
        "Jesus fucking Christ! How long have you been there!" He asked somewhat harshly, sitting bolt upright.   
        "Language." Edd warned lightheartedly. "Sorry, I was about to alert you to my presence, but your voice was so angelic, I couldn't help but listen." Kevin flushed deeply.   
        "Th-thank you," he whispered.   
        "You're very welcome," Edd smiled and leaned back, looking at the embarrassed redhead. Kevin was picking nervously at a spot on his khakis, refusing to look up at the beanie-clad teen. "I have yet another question for you."  
        Kevin glanced up at Edd, then back at his khakis when he noticed that he was staring. "Yea, go ahead."  
        "Um...," Edd swallowed nervously. "W-would you like to go on a d-date...I'd understand if you don't want to, I just thought I would ask..."   
        Kevin slowly directed his gaze across the room, his mouth agape. That had been the last question he'd expect the shyest boy he knew to ask. He stood up in one fluid motion, crossed the distance between them in two strides and smashed his lips against the other's. "God yes," he whispered into Edd's mouth and kissed him harder. Edd smiled and tangled his fingers in Kevin's red hair.  
He never thought he could be this happy.   
        

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yayyyy so cute :) I was just too excited, I couldn't stop myself from writing another chapter! Leave any suggestions for advancing the story in the comments below, I'd love to hear your opinions. It's genuinely surprising how many people have read this story considering how long ago I posted it. I hope you guys are enjoying it. Au revoir for now!


	6. Secrets

        Kevin knew he was falling in love. He knew he would be beat up if anyone found out. He also knew that he didn't care. He had never felt this way about anyone before. When he'd gotten home from Edd's, he texted his mother to tell her he was home, then did his chores as fast as he could. Once he was done, he laid in his bed, put in his headphones and tucked his arms behind his head, staring at the ceiling of his room. He couldn't stop thinking about Edd. Even if he could have, he wouldn't want to. The boy was just too adorable.   
        He sighed happily, thinking about what had transpired that day. He and Edd had spent the rest of their time together with the smaller boy tucked against his side, sneaking kisses now and then, and watching more documentaries. Kevin had been surprised to learn how much he enjoyed watching them. He'd never thought he'd like nerdy stuff. Granted, he didn't think he'd ever like another dude either. Funny how things turn out.   
        The redhead rubbed his face with his hands and looked at the clock on his nightstand. 1:07. He sighed. Already he wanted to see Edd's smile again. He was astonished at how quickly he'd become addicted to the boy's presence. He considered texting him, as Edd had been sure to give him his number before he left, but before he could decide, his phone buzzed. He wanted to ignore it, thinking it was his mother, but he picked it up just in case it was Edd. It was neither. 

        Levi: dude what the fuck were u doing @ that fags house.

Kevin's heart stopped. Levi was not someone he wanted to mess with. He was the captain of the football team, Nazz's current boyfriend, and one of the most notable bullies at Peach Creek High. Kevin had a considerable amount of muscle, but Levi could stomp on him like a bug without even thinking about it. 'Shit.' His heart pounded in his throat as he tried to come up with a good excuse.

        Kevin: What are you talking about.

        Levi: dont give me that bullshit nazz saw you leaving the fags house

        Kevin: Oh. I was just asking him what the homework was for English.

        Kevin swallowed nervously. He really hoped that Levi would buy the excuse. If he caused any trouble for them, he could say goodbye to Edd for good. His hands shook as the phone buzzed yet again. 

        Levi: that had better be it ur off the teem if ur a fag 2

        Kevin: Yea, that was it. C u Monday.

        Kevin was legitimately scared. This was the kind of attention he'd been hoping to avoid. With shaking fingers he texted Edd. 

        Kevin: Hey. Thinking of you.

        He waited for a few moments, and when Edd didn't reply, he got up, pacing nervously. Another three minutes later, when his phone hadn't buzzed, he opened the curtains and looked across the street at Edd's house. Nothing seemed to be happening inside, and Kevin couldn't see Edd's bedroom window from where he was standing. He continued pacing. What was taking Edd so long? Four minutes later, his phone lit up and he almost smashed into the wall as he lunged for it. 

        Double D: How thoughtful, although I'm unsure why you felt the need to tell me. 

        Kevin sighed in relief, his legs almost giving out. He punched in a response. 

        Kevin: Sorry, I just felt you should know. What are you up to?

        Double D: I am completing my chores at the moment. 

        The redhead smiled at his phone, realizing that was why his response had taken a while to reach him. 

        Kevin: When can I see you again?

        He sent the text, then realized just how needy it sounded and blushed. God, what was happening to him? Why was he so anxious to see the boy? Even with the added threat of Levi and the rest of the football team to worry about, he still couldn't help it. Thankfully, a buzz interrupted his thoughts. 

        Double D: I suppose once I finish my chores, we can meet up. 

        Kevin: Sweet, can you meet me somewhere?

        Double D: Where?

        Kevin: The library?

        Double D: Alright. I will meet you there in thirty minutes.

        Half an hour later, Kevin was to be found in front of the Peach Creek Library, wearing a black hoodie and his old red hat, which he had so the bill covered his face. He hadn't worn the hat in years, but he suddenly found himself feeling nostalgic, so he had pulled it on before hopping on his motorcycle and making his way over. He had hoped to see Edd on his route, but hadn't seen a trace of the boy, which worried him.   
        He looked up from his phone, which he'd been playing a game on, and his eyes immediately landed on Edd, who was making his way towards him. Kevin twisted his hat around so the bill faced backward again, and he waved. Edd smiled widely and waved back, increasing his speed. "Greetings, Kevin."  
        "Sup, D?"   
        Edd rolled his eyes at Kevin's grammar, but responded with a cheery "The sky, of course!" Kevin grinned. Leave it to Double D to be a smart ass. They entered the library together, chatting aimlessly about nothing in particular. They quickly found Edd's favorite section (Science, of course), and had to be shushed by a librarian because Edd was talking too loudly and excitedly about String Theory. Kevin didn't understand a word, but Edd was just so darn cute; he grabbed his hand and pulled him behind a bookshelf, out of sight from everyone, then kissed him passionately. Edd was surprised but kissed back willingly. They broke apart after only a moment, much to Kevin's disappointment, but Edd reminded him that they were in a public place, and Kevin agreed reluctantly.  
        They spent a good portion of the afternoon together in the library, Edd found a book on astrophysics and curled up in a chair to read. Kevin found one on the history of baseball and sat on the floor with his back against the wall, facing Edd but still far enough away that no one would suspect they were there together if they were seen. Levi's text was still on the back of his mind.   
        The afternoon ended rather uneventfully. Edd checked out a couple of books, they kissed out of sight, then went their separate ways. Kevin didn't want to tell Double D about the texts, afraid of what he would say, so he didn't mention them. He inquired about seeing Edd again the next day but was told that, unfortunately, Edd already had plans with the other Eds. Kevin was disappointed, but at least he knew that the smaller boy would be safe with them. Ed was an idiot, but he was strong and protective, so if Levi tried to hurt Edd, he wouldn't get very far.   
        Sunday dragged on for him. He couldn't text Double D, since he was busy, and the only thing he had to occupy his mind was homework, which annoyed him even more. He was relieved when it was time for him to go to sleep, but couldn't for a while, as the other boy occupied his thoughts. He sent Edd one last text before he turned onto his side and drifted off. 

        Kevin: Good night, sweet prince. 

        The next morning, he woke up in a decent mood. He felt pretty good, plus during the night, Edd had responded to his text. 

        Double D: Hamlet? Interesting choice to woo me with. Good night Kevin. 

        Kevin read the text as he brushed his teeth, and grinned at his phone. He put his phone down on the counter as he rinsed his mouth and dragged a comb through his messy hair. It buzzed almost the second he put it down, and he picked it up again to find that Edd had sent him yet another text. 

        Double D: Good morning. I hope you slept well. Have a marvelous day. 

        Kevin's heart skipped a beat. He had thought that the boy couldn't get any cuter, but he had been very wrong. He was about to reply when he realized what time it was and had to rush out the door.          
        Edd had also found himself in a good mood when he woke up that morning, sending Kevin a text and getting ready for the day as normal. After his usual morning routine had been completed, he knocked on Ed's door and waited for him.   
        "DOUBLE D!" Ed barreled out the front door and nearly killed the poor boy as he squished him in a hug.   
        "Ed...would you mind letting go of me?" Edd struggled to say as his lungs were squashed by Ed's tight embrace. Ed sheepishly removed his arms and they proceeded to pick up Eddy. The short boy was in an unusually jovial mood as he greeted the other two Eds.   
        "Why hello there lads! This is a fine mornin', ain't it!" He puffed out his chest then practically swaggered out the door, much to Edd's confusion.   
        "Well, aren't you in a good mood this morning!" Edd commented, and Eddy flashed him a grin.   
        "Why wouldn't I be? Life is swell!"   
        Ed and Double D shared a look, then Double D shrugged and they followed him. They all chatted together happily as they made their way to the high school, pleased to all be together again. Ed and Double D had really missed him during the year he had been gone, although it had been nice to not be dragged into stupid plans for a while, even if Eddy had stopped his scams long before the move. Their walk to school was very pleasant: the air was crisp, there were only a few clouds in the sky, and the sun was only just starting to illuminate the sides of buildings, giving them a golden glow that Edd found very beautiful.   
        When they arrived at the doors, Edd glanced towards the football field, where the members of the team were practicing. He found Kevin immediately, his red hair glowing in the morning sun as he ran laps with the rest of the team. Edd smiled softly to himself as he entered the school with his friends and made his way to his locker. They continued to talk for another ten minutes before going their separate ways; Ed chased after May and Eddy traipsed off to who knows where. Edd put in his combo and was retrieving a textbook from inside when a harsh voice rang out, making him flinch.   
        "Hey! Double Dork!"   
        The hated nickname made Edd flinch. He looked up at Kevin, whose face showed none of the love it had over the weekend. "H-how may I assist you, Kevin?" He asked nervously.   
        "You can 'assist me' by giving me the answers to the homework, twerp!" Kevin grabbed Edd's shirt and pushed him against the locker next to his, then whispered in his ear. "Play along." He pulled back and glared at Edd. His confused and scared look made Kevin's heart hurt, but he knew he had to do this to keep him safe.   
        "C-certainly. J-just let me fetch it for you Kevin," the scared note in Edd's voice seemed all too real, but the brief hint of a smile made Kevin believe that he might have caught on to what he was doing faster than he thought. Edd opened one of his notebooks and tore out a random piece of paper haphazardly, then folded it and handed it to the redhead. "Here you are."   
        Kevin snatched it from his hand and turned on his heel, stalking away and glaring at everyone who dared to look at him. Edd turned back to his locker, his heart pounding in his chest. He wasn't quite sure what just happened, but he felt that Kevin wouldn't have done it for no reason. He settled for closing his locker door and making his way to class.   
        Word traveled fast, and in no time, everyone knew that Kevin had been rough with Double D. Some people even claimed that he had given him a black eye before leaving him to pass out on the hallway floor. When asked about it, Kevin waved them off, saying he just wanted the answers for the homework. Once first period had started, he sneakily took out his phone and sent Double D a text explaining what had happened. 

        Kevin: Hey, D. I'm really sorry I had to do that... I'm trying to protect you tho. Kids wouldn't be nice if they knew about us. 

        Double D: I understand. I wish you would have explained prior, however. You really scared me. 

        Kevin: I'm sorry. I promise I'll kiss you better later. 

        Edd blushed down at his phone, then turned it off and returned his attention to the lesson. The morning passed quickly, and before he knew it, it was time for lunch. Eddy found him at his locker as he traded out the textbooks from his morning classes for the afternoon ones.   
        "Double D! Is it true? Did Shovel Chin hurt you?" Eddy looked furious, and Edd had to assure him that he was fine so Eddy wouldn't murder his crush.   
        Eddy hovered over him protectively for the rest of the day so Kevin wouldn't have the chance to come near him again. He remembered all too clearly the 'Skipper' incident, and didn't want the athlete anywhere near his best friend. Edd found his hovering rather irritating, but allowed it, as he knew Eddy would find it suspicious if he allowed Kevin to come near him willingly. Soon enough, it was time for seventh period: gym. To Double D's relief, Eddy didn't have this class with him, but he told Ed to keep an eye on him.   
        Edd changed quickly, ducking into a stall to do so. He was wary of letting anyone see him unclothed in public anymore, as he was familiar with the taunts. He listened until the chatter had died down entirely, then slipped out of the stall, bumping into someone as he did so. "M-my apologies." He looked up and was relieved to see that it was Kevin, rather than one of the other jocks.   
        "It's cool," Kevin said, smiling down at him. "Don't worry, there's no one else in here," he said when Edd looked around to see if there were any remaining students. "I missed you," he breathed, pressing a kiss to Edd's lips briefly then pulling away.   
        "I missed your presence as well," Edd admitted, smiling softly as a blush crept up his neck and face.   
        "I actually wanted to ask you something." Kevin followed Edd back to his locker. Edd gave him a questioning look, giving him a nod as he folded his normal clothes and placed them in his locker. "Will you meet me tonight?"   
        Edd turned back to him after shutting his gym locker. "Whatever for?"   
        "The date," Kevin stated plainly and Edd blushed a deeper shade of red.   
        "A-alright. What time?" He asked and Kevin shook his head.   
        "I'll text you the details, now go. I don't want you to get in trouble 'cuz of me." He kissed Edd's cheek and pushed him toward the door gently. Edd paused as he attempted to regain his composure, but knew that Kevin was right as he hurried down the hallway towards the field.           
        Gym class was his least favorite, and it was even worse now that he knew the way Kevin felt about him, and why they had to hide their feelings for one another. Every once in a while he would look over at the older boy while he was doing some stretch or running a lap and Kevin would glare at him with what would have looked like genuine hatred to anyone watching them, but which was accompanied with the faintest of winks, and Edd would have to hide his smile. He attempted to focus on his own physical activity, choosing to stick to lighter exercise than laps, but still feeling like his lungs were going to collapse. He had at least gained enough muscle to lift weights and throw pretty decently, but endurance was not something he was good at. When Mr. Haygle finally blew the whistle and told them to go dress out, Edd was relieved, and he and Ed talked about the rules of Tic-Tac-Toe, which for some reason Ed still did not understand, as they made their way to the lockers.   
        Kevin bumped into him rather forcefully, turning around and saying "Watch it, Double Dweeb," rather loudly before catching up with some friends of his from the football team. Edd frowned after him, but realized he had slipped something into his hand. He lifted it up to find that it was a tiny piece of paper, folded in on itself several times. He looked around to make sure no one was watching before unfolding it. The only thing on it was a tiny heart, written in black ink.   
        Edd smiled softly at the paper, then tossed it in the trash, just in case. He dressed out just as quickly as before, but this time when he came out, the locker room was completely empty except for Ed, who was trying with difficulty to tie his shoelace.   
        "Help me, Double D! The aliens have buttered my toast and now my brain is gravy!" Ed proclaimed, holding his foot towards the skinny boy. Edd sighed but showed him how to tie his shoelace, though he was unsure why a seventeen year old would have so much trouble with such a simple task. The rest of the next forty-five minutes was permeated with talk of aliens and Eddy being rather condescending, so by the time Edd waved goodbye to his friends, he had a rather severe headache. He decided a nap was in order, ditching his shoes by the door, setting his backpack on the kitchen table and making his way upstairs.   
        Several hours later:   
        A loud ringing noise right next to his head woke Edd up abruptly and he sat up, rubbing his eyes. The clock next to his bed read 11:42 pm. "Who in the world could be calling at this ungodly hour?" he wondered aloud and hit the 'Answer Call' button.   
        "Double D?! Are you ok?!" Kevin sounded positively panicked as Edd winced and held the phone slightly further away from his ear.   
        "Quiet down, Kevin, you are going to burst my eardrums with how loud you are screaming," he answered, a little annoyed. "Might I inquire as to why you are calling me at almost midnight on a school night?"   
        "I was worried, you weren't answering my texts. Plus, I wanted to show you something."  
        "What could you possibly want to show me this late?" Edd asked tersely, and Kevin chuckled over the phone.   
        "Come outside and I'll show you."   
        Edd looked out the window, past the tree that grew outside his window and saw Kevin sitting on the sidewalk below. "Alright," Edd sighed. "I'll be out in a moment."   
        "See you soon!" Kevin said chirpily, and hung up.   
        Edd rubbed his eyes wearily, then curiosity took hold of him, and he ran down the stairs. What was it that Kevin wished to show him? He tugged on his shoes then ran outside to meet the redhead. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get excited! The next chapter is going to be really cute. Plus maybe some plot twists??? That's for me to know and you to find out. I'm so happy at how many of you seem to like this story so far!  
> Thanks to my boyfriend for helping me out with ideas!  
> I'll upload another chapter soon, not tonight though. It's really late. Until next time!


	7. A Sky Full of Stars

Kevin sighed contentedly, his breath forming a cloud of mist in the cool night air. It was illuminated in the light from the nearby streetlight and he watched the cloud dissipate as he waited for the lovable nerd to join him outside. He had been genuinely worried when he had texted Edd after getting out of practice and the boy hadn't responded. He was relieved to find out that Double D had merely been asleep, rather than dead and on the side of a road somewhere like he'd been imagining.  
When he heard the quiet sound of a door opening and snapping shut behind him, he stood up and turned to see Edd striding towards him, and he smiled broadly. It was obvious that he had fallen asleep in his school clothes, which was very rare for him, but the wrinkly clothes only added to his adorableness.   
"Good evening, Kevin," Edd smiled at the teen in front of him, who returned it with his own and held out his hand. Edd pulled his jacket tighter around him and took the outstretched hand. "I apologize for worrying you, I promise I did not intend to."  
"I know you didn't," Kevin answered, grinning and beginning to head towards the mouth of the cul-de-sac, pulling the shorter boy with him. Edd blushed, very aware of the fingers that were intertwined with his own smaller ones, and resisted the urge to ask him where they were going, since he knew Kevin wouldn't tell him, and instead tightened his grip on the taller boy's hand. Kevin grinned and squeezed Edd's hand in return, and they stayed that way for a small while as they walked.   
Kevin led Double D to a spot about a mile from their houses, then released his hand. Edd made a small noise of protest, suddenly cold as the night air attacked his palm, but Kevin shushed him and pulled out a strip of fabric from his pocket. "I'm not going to hurt you, I just ask that you trust me. I want this to be a surprise." Edd nodded shyly and allowed Kevin to tie the strip around his eyes, then he felt the redhead take his hand again. Guiding the slender boy carefully up a steep incline, he softly warned him about obstructions and potential hazards in the path. It took them about five minutes to make it to the summit of the hill, but to Edd it felt longer.   
"I'm going to take the blindfold off now." The athlete's soft voice pierced the darkness as gentle hands undid the knot. "Look." Edd looked, and his jaw dropped. He was standing at the top of a hill, as he had already known, but he hadn't realized how far up it went. From here, he had a perfect view of the entirety of Peach Creek, and when he turned in a small circle, he could see mountains looming in the distance, only able to be seen because they were denser than the background, and then to the left there was an expanse of trees that stretched for miles. "Up there," Kevin pointed, and Edd lifted his gaze to the sky.   
A soft gasp from the nerdy boy made Kevin grin and he took Edd's hand again. "I thought you'd like it."  
"It's amazing...they're so clear up here." Edd tightened his grasp and looked up at Kevin, who was staring at him with a gentle look. "Thank you." Kevin's cheeks flushed and he nodded.   
"C'mere." Kevin pulled Edd over to a patch of grass, and they laid down side by side. For the next hour, they just laid there while Kevin held Edd's hand and Edd pointed out various constellations with his free one. Kevin could only find Orion and the Big Dipper, as those were the most recognizable, but the enthusiasm with which Edd spoke of the constellations and the history behind each one was more important to him than distinguishing them. After Double D had exhausted his extensive knowledge of the various stars, he started in on the planets. These were far easier for Kevin to pick out, as they were brighter than all of the stars.   
Kevin looked over at the boy next to him, whose eyes were wide, illuminated by the moon (a waxing gibbon, Edd had informed him previously), and felt his cheeks heat up. He hoisted himself up so he was on his side, looking at Edd's face with a glazed expression, and the sudden movement caught the younger teen's eye.   
"Double D..." Kevin breathed as he looked down at the pale-skinned boy laying before him.  
"Y-yes?" Edd asked in a soft whisper, his eyes glancing momentarily at Kevin's lips before they returned to his eyes.   
"You have no idea just how adorable you are, do you." The athlete smirked as Edd blushed darkly and stuttered out a response.   
"I-I have n-no idea what you could be r-referring to, Kevin," he said truthfully, and probably would have continued to protest, but the redhead shushed him and placed a hand on the side of his face.   
"You have no idea what you do to me..." The ginger sighed deeply, looking into Edd's wide eyes. "You drive me fucking crazy, make me want to laugh, make me want to cry. I wish I could call you mine, I wish I could show the whole world how much I care about you, how happy you make me. God, Eddward...I wish I could..." he said all this in a choked voice, and Edd could see how distraught Kevin truly was. He reached up around Kevin's shoulders and pulled him close, their lips connecting in the moonlight. Wordlessly, Kevin propped himself up on his elbow and scooted himself closer, trying to deepen the kiss, trying to convey his affections for the boy he had bullied throughout junior high, trying to show how much he desperately needed him in his life.   
After a moment, which could have been either an eternity or a second (Kevin couldn't tell, his head was too fuzzy), they broke apart, Edd breathing hard, and Kevin's eyes remaining closed as he pressed his forehead to the other's. "Dork," he said lovingly, and he heard Edd's lips parting in a smile.   
Double D opened his eyes so he could examine the older boy. His face was illuminated by the moon on one side, and his hair was messy, a few flyaway strands floating in the breeze. His trademark bangs hung over his eyes, which were still closed as he bit his lip worriedly.   
Kevin uttered something unintelligible, his face turning a shade of pink that looked purple in the blue light. "P-pardon?" Edd replied, caught off guard. 

Kevin opened his eyes and swallowed hard, his nerves apparent as he lay facing Edd. "I-I asked i-if..." he swallowed again. He'd never been this nervous, even around needles, and his fear of those was horrible. He shut his eyes again, trying to steady his breathing but his heart pounding in his ears drowned out his thoughts. 'In. Out. In...' It was doing nothing. His breathing was more and more forced as he tried to work up the courage to say what he wanted to, but a small hand on his face and an inquisitive noise gave him the strength he needed. "Will you do it?"   
"Do what?"   
Kevin opened his eyes and stared into Edd's bright blue ones. "Will you be mine? I'm sorry I can't give you attention in public, and I'm sorry that I can't take you on real dates or take you to dances, but I can't feel that if I don't do this then I'll regret it for the rest of my life. I love you, Double D..." Kevin started crying, the moonlight bouncing off his tears as he continued. "The pain is worth it...just please say you'll be mine..." He pressed a tender kiss to Edd's mouth, his lips trembling, then he pulled away and looked back at Edd, waiting for a response.   
Edd's mouth was agape. Was this really happening? "Kevin..." he breathed and his throat swelled. "Yes!" Edd lunged at the athlete and the forward momentum sent them tumbling down the hill, a tangled mess of limbs and tears and laughter. When they finally came to a stop, Edd found himself straddling the redhead, and he leaned down so he could kiss him. Kevin's hands came up, one resting on the other's hip and the other sliding underneath the beanie as he pulled him in closer.   
Edd could taste the salt from Kevin's tears on his lips, but he didn't care. His heart was pounding. He could feel Kevin's large hands on his slender body, and he pressed in close, their lips moving together in a steady motion as they memorized every inch of each other's mouths. It felt like time had stopped. They were in their own perfect world where nothing and no one could ever hurt them, and the only things that existed was the sound of breathing and their kisses. It was perfect. Simply perfect.   
When Edd finally withdrew, both of them were breathing heavily, and their cheeks radiated heat. Kevin smiled up at Edd, who smiled back bashfully before slipping onto the grass next to him and resting his head on the redhead's muscular shoulder. The athlete pressed a soft kiss to his forehead and Edd snuggled closer, Kevin moving his arm so he could press against his side. They listened to the crickets chirp until Kevin spoke. "I know a constellation you don't know."  
Edd shifted so he could look up at the night sky. "I highly doubt that."   
"I mean it! Look!" He pointed at a collection of stars, then slowly started dragging his finger through the air in the shape of a heart. "It's called 'To You.'" Edd turned crimson.  
"That is a ridiculous name..." he muttered, and Kevin laughed, the sound making Edd's heart flutter.   
"I don't care if it is." Kevin kissed the top of Edd's head again, then yawned, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone. The light glowed and he looked at the time, then sighed. "It's a lot later than I thought. We should probably head back." Edd nodded and they sat up, sharing another tender kiss before standing up and making their way back down the hill, their fingers laced together once again. They arrived at the entrance to the cul-de-sac in what felt like no time at all, much to their disappointment, and Edd frowned.   
"I suppose I shall see you in the morning..." he said rather dejectedly, unwilling to part from the taller teen's side.   
"I guess so," Kevin responded with equal levels of sorrow in his voice. He didn't wish to leave, and hearing the sad tone of Edd's voice hinted that the other boy felt the same way he did.  
This gave Edd an idea, however, and he was quick to share it. "Well...what if you stayed the night?" He suggested, and Kevin beamed.  
"That sounds great, Dork," he said and they made their way to the house together. They spent the night with Edd curled up in Kevin's arms, and neither could think of a time in which they'd been happier. Kevin left early the next morning, needing to take a shower and head to football practice, but he made sure to admire Edd's sleeping face. He looked so relaxed and so cute. Kevin placed a soft kiss on his cheek, then grinned when the smaller teen shifted in his sleep and made a small snorting sound. He found a pen and scrawled a quick message to Double D, leaving it on the nightstand before exiting his room. It read: 'Good morning <3 sry had to go to practice. C U @ school.'  
He slipped out the front door, shutting it firmly behind him, and dashed across the street to his own house. A short shower and a change of clothes later, he hopped on his motorcycle and made his way to practice. He had never been so happy before, but now he had to hide his affection once again, and that made him upset. He tried to focus on practice, running laps and doing the exercises with far more vigor than usual, but Edd was always on the back of his mind, and he had to refrain from sending him a message filled with sweet nothings.   
Practice ended an hour later, and while he was changing out of his uniform and back into his school clothes, he received a call. He looked at the caller ID and saw it was Nazz, and he pulled on his shirt before he answered. Her voice was frantic, and she seemed close to tears as she told him: "Kev! Did you hear? Double D is in the hospital! They say he's in a coma..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! They're together now! But now comes the drama.... I guess we'll just have to see what happens. Sorry for how short this chapter is, I'm running on fumes here. Until next time!


	8. Never Leave Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kevin finds out who put Edd into a coma and gets revenge.

        Kevin froze. All his systems seemed to shut down as a ringing in his ears consumed his world. 'No. Not Edd. Please no...' He dropped everything except his phone, grabbing his hoodie and slamming his locker shut before he ran blindly. He was unable to feel anything. How was he supposed to live if Edd died? He couldn't do it. He pushed through the crowd of students in the hallways, many of whom turned to stare at him in shock. The star athlete of the school was running through the school with tears streaming down his face. They had never seen this sort of emotion from him, and many tried to reach out and ask him what was wrong, only to have him smack them away and glare with tears in his eyes before rushing away.   
        It took him a only a few moments to reach the front of the school, but every moment he spent not knowing what had happened to Eddward lasted an eternity. He straddled the motorcycle, forgetting -or perhaps not caring about-  his helmet, and he kicked it into life. The only thing he could think of was his boyfriend lying in a hospital bed, and tears rolled down onto his sweater. The ride to the hospital only took ten minutes. Traffic was light, as it was still too early for the adult residents of Peach Creek to be leaving for work.   
        Finally, he was in the hospital parking lot. His hands shook as he put the kickstand down and removed the keys from the ignition. Thoughts swam through his head, an occasional stray one presenting itself through the muddled fog that was his mind. He couldn't believe this was happening. He knew he'd been foolish. He hadn't covered his tracks, made sure no one could see him leaving the boy's house earlier that same morning. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid.' he thought on repeat as he pushed open the front door and searched frantically for someone who could help him find the boy's room.   
        "Hi! How can I help you today?" asked a perky blonde receptionist as Kevin walked up and leaned his weight against the counter.   
        "D-do you kn-know where Eddward V-Vincent's room is?" Kevin couldn't stop the shaking in his voice as he asked the woman behind the counter where his boyfriend was residing. 'He's probably dying,' his mind quipped and he had to hold himself back from slamming his head on the cold marble surface in front of him.   
        "Sure! Just let me look up the name for you!" the receptionist typed a few words into her keyboard. "May I ask what your relationship is with him?"   
        Kevin flushed a deep shade of red as he admitted quietly "He's my boyfriend..." The woman looked surprised but nodded and inquired what his name was, and she printed it neatly in large letters on a blue nametag sticker.   
        "Be sure to wear that around the hospital, you won't be allowed into any of the rooms without it," she informed him, and he nodded, peeling it off the backing and sticking the adhesive to his hoodie. "He's in room 764." She smiled sadly up at him and he nodded, muttering something that resembled thanks as he stumbled over to the elevator across the lobby. He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited, and quickly lost his patience, darting over to the stairwell and dashing up six flights of stairs to level seven.   
        "764...764..." He saw a sign that had arrows pointing in two different directions. One pointed to rooms 700-750, and the other led towards 751-799. He followed the second arrow. His heart beating in his throat, restricting his airflow, and he felt as though he were about to pass out. 761, 762, 763.. Here he was. He took a deep breath, preparing himself for what awaited him behind the closed door made of fogged glass.   
        The sight was so much worse than he could have ever imagined. There lay Edd in the middle of the room in a simple blue hospital gown. He had an IV in his arm, attached to a tube in which a clear liquid was steadily dripping. Kevin forced himself to move his gaze upwards and his stomach seemed to hit the floor. His neck was covered in dark purple bruises, taking the shape of fingers across the boy's slender throat. Above the bruises, a swollen jaw suggested the attacker had not pulled their punches. Kevin inched closer, afraid to continue looking, but unable to turn away. There was blood practically everywhere. Edd's lip was split, his nose looked as though it were broken, and there was a large gash running along his forehead. The wounds had been meticulously cleaned and coated with a layer of antibacterial gel, but they were not pleasant to look at.   
        The soft beeping of a heart monitor let Kevin know that the teen was alive, but the way he laid there in front of the athlete could not have sent the opposite message any more clearly. Kevin made a choking noise in the back of his throat, rushing to Edd's side. "Edd...oh god...Double D wake up...please!" He reached toward him with shaking fingers but held back, leaving them to hover inches away. He felt it would be unwise to touch him, lest he hurt the unconscious boy in any way. This was too much for him to handle. "No..." He fell to his knees beside the bed, burying his head in his arms and letting the sobs take him. His entire body wracked with the weight of his sorrow, he soaked the sheets with his tears.   
        He didn't know what to do. He didn't know who had done this or why, but he knew that whoever it was might not live to see another birthday when Kevin finally found out. His sobs slowly died down, the anguish hidden underneath bloodshot eyes and tear-soaked cheeks, and he looked up at the teen laying as though dead on the dead before him. Edd's arms were at his sides, so Kevin gently took one of the boy's hands, kissing it softly.  
        "Edd...I don't know if you can hear me..." He cleared his throat, feeling very awkward and stupid all of a sudden. "I...I guess I just needed to t-tell you that..." the tears threatened to come to the surface again, but he swallowed, forcing them down as he tried to find the right words. "Please come back, Double D. I love you...I love you..." He choked and dissolved into tears again.   
        He would have remained in tears for quite a bit longer had his phone not begun buzzing and distracted him. 

        Nazz: Dude where are you? School just started?

        Kevin wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his hoodie and sent a text back, having to backspace and retype many of his words, since his vision was fuzzy and his fingers were shaking.         

        Kevin: not coming to school today. sick. sry.        

        He knew it was a stupid excuse but at the moment he was far too distraught to care. Another buzz.

        Nazz: Liar. You were here earlier. Rolf said he saw you running thru the hall crying. What's really up.

        Kevin glowered at his phone. Curse Rolf and his big mouth. 

        Kevin: None of ur business. I have a question tho. 

        Nazz: Yea whats up.

        Kevin: Who the fuck beat up D and why?

        Nazz didn't respond for a good five minutes and Kevin was just about to text her again when his phone began vibrating. She was calling him. He hit the Answer button and held the phone up to his ear.   
        "Hey dude, sorry it took so long to get back to you, but I figured this was a conversation you would wanna actually talk about, instead of text." Nazz sounded solemn, and Kevin nodded before realizing she couldn't see him.   
        "Yea, you're right. So answer my question."  
        "You're not gonna like the response." Nazz answered with a serious tone.   
        "I don't care. Who? And why?" Kevin knew he sounded desperate, but he didn't care.  
        Nazz sighed heavily. "It was Levi and some of the other football players. You know they don't really like Double D. I don't know why, all I know is that Levi said something along the lines of 'I'm gonna beat up that little fag,' before he went to go find him. I didn't know he was talking about D..." Nazz suddenly sounded distraught, which surprised Kevin. He knew they were friends, but he'd never really thought they were that close.   
        "Did he say that to you or what?"  
        "N-no, he said it to one of the other dudes on the team. I was around to overhear that but nothing else. This was a while ago though."  
        "Alright, tell me exactly what happened." Kevin demanded.  
        "I don't know why you care. It's not like you're all that nice to him," Nazz said, but she could obviously sense that this was important to Kevin because she continued without waiting for a response. "Here's what I've heard. Like I said, I was nearby when Levi said that bit, but everything else I'm going off of what other people have said. Apparently one of Levi's friends saw some guy leaving from Double D's house earlier this morning. They didn't know who it was, but it was definitely a dude, and Levi for some reason was really pissed and he and two other football players - sorry I don't know which, the details are really fuzzy- went over, broke into the house and beat the hell out of him. I don't know anything else, but now D's in the hospital so..." she trailed off.   
        Kevin was beyond pissed. He no longer felt anything but pure, unaltered rage. "You know, I really hate your boyfriend, Nazz," he growled through clenched teeth.   
        "I know you do. I'm not too happy with him either at the moment. D was cool, he never hurt anyone. I dunno why Levi is being such an ass all of a sudden."   
        "That fucker is going down." Kevin hung up before Nazz could say anything else, and he stood up abruptly. "I'm going to get revenge Double D," he whispered, kissing Edd on the small section of forehead that wasn't covered in gel, then stormed from the room.   
        It took him less than half an hour to find Levi. He drove back to the school, ignoring several laws out of anger, and not caring in the slightest if he was pulled over. Knowing how pissed he was, he'd probably attempt to snap the police officer's neck if he was. When he arrived, he stormed through the doors, then headed straight for Levi's locker. He had to wait less than ten minutes before the bell rang, signaling the start of passing period, and it was another two before Levi came into sight, guffawing uproariously with some of his dimwitted buddies. Kevin ground his teeth together and stepped forward, blocking Levi's path.   
        "May I have a word with you?" he growled, making it an order rather than a question. Levi smirked and waved off his buddies, then turned to the redhead.   
        "What's got your panties in a twist?" He snickered, crossing his arms over his chest and chewing the gum lodged in his mouth as though he were a heifer chewing her cud. Kevin glared at him and he rolled his eyes. "Okay, dude. What the hell is wrong with you? You're starting to piss me off."   
        Something inside Kevin snapped. He grabbed Levi by his shirt and slammed him against the lockers, then used one hand to hold him there while with the other he punched the boy in the face repeatedly as hard as he could. The jock's nose broke beneath his fist, but he didn't stop. The only thing on his mind was getting revenge, and this piece of shit had been the one that who put the boy he loved in a hospital bed. He deserved death. Or worse. The edges of his vision were red, and a roaring in his ears prevented him from hearing the screams of girls around them as he beat the shit out of Levi. A hatred had completely consumed him completely, rendering him incapable of anything but attempting to murder this fucker.   
        "KEVIN! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" Kevin paused for just a second as Nazz's shrill voice pierced the air.   
        "Trying to kill your piece of shit boyfriend," he stated matter of factly, and turned back, drawing his arm back for another punch.  
        "DON'T YOU DARE!" Nazz screamed, but it was too late. Kevin's fist connected with Levi's face with a sickening crack and the jock's head lolled to the side. Kevin scoffed and let him go, letting him fall to the floor.   
        "All yours," he spat at Nazz and shoved his hands in his pockets and stalked away, everyone in the hallway giving him a wide berth. Even if they hadn't just witnessed him try to kill the football captain, the look in his eyes was scary. He looked as though he could turn people into stone with one look, and nobody wanted to find out if it were possible.   
        It wasn't until he had turned the key in the ignition and began his journey back to the hospital that the tears came. He had to pull into a 7-11 parking lot so he could get all the tears out. He figured Double D wouldn't be too pleased if he woke up to find his boyfriend had gotten into a car crash because he was crying too hard to see. Kevin giggled softly, imagining Edd getting angry at him for not wearing protective gear, but quickly returned to his somber state, and decided to grab something to eat while he was at the store.   
        Fifteen minutes and a small argument with the girl behind the counter about whether or not the sign claiming 'Buy One Get One Free' applied to one of his purchases, he had calmed down enough to continue on his journey. It was obvious he wouldn't be going to school today. Hell, with what had just happened, he wouldn't be surprised if he were expelled. A heavy sigh escaped his lips as he shoved the plastic bag containing various snacks and drinks into his saddlebag and pulled on his helmet. He hoped Edd wouldn't be angry with him for getting in trouble for his sake.   
        Kevin spent the rest of the school day at the hospital, alternating between talking to Edd, eating and messing with his phone. He still wasn't sure if Edd could hear him, but regardless, he felt the need to just talk to him, hopefully get a response out of him at some point. When Edd didn't even twitch, he felt disheartened, but continued telling him about funny things that had happened over the years. For example, the time his mother had been kept up by the sound of crickets for three nights straight, tripped over the sofa, and had fallen asleep face first in the rug.   
        His phone buzzed repeatedly the entire time he was there, which annoyed him to no end. It was mainly texts from various members of the football team and a few people from the cul-de-sac, asking what had happened with Levi. He ignored them, just deleting the messages and continuing to chatter aimlessly about the past. At some point he passed out with his head laying on the bed next to Edd's hip and his hand loosely holding Edd's, and was roughly woken by a doctor who told him that he needed to leave. Kevin nodded, gathering his possessions, and laid one final gentle kiss on Edd's temple.   
        "I love you," he whispered, then gave the teen a sad look and left the hospital.  
        That night, he didn't sleep. As expected, his parents hadn't been home, which was a relief, as Kevin didn't want to bother with their usual questions about how his day was. Granted, if they'd been home, he would more likely have gotten an earful about the incident at school and how much trouble he was in. Regardless, he was just thankful that they weren't there. Kevin ran his fingers through his shaggy hair, sighing heavily. For the first time in years, he was tempted to pray. He hadn't believed in a God since middle school, but he suddenly felt that doing so was the only thing he could do at the moment.  
        "Please let Edd wake up...please. I can't do this without him." He drifted off to sleep with Edd's name on his lips.   
        It was a full week before Edd woke up. During that time, Kevin had indeed been suspended, which was fine with him, since it gave him more time to spend with his unconscious boyfriend. Every day he spoke to him, whether it was about a math problem that made no sense, a cool food he'd tried, or something he remembered from their childhood. He spent all day at Edd's side, drifting off often because his inability to sleep at night had gotten worse. He was simply too worried about Double D to do so, and the fact that he wasn't allowed to visit after dark annoyed him even more.   
        Kevin was attempting to beat an especially tough level of a video game for the eighth or ninth time that week when Edd shifted for the first time since being put into the coma. Kevin heard the soft shift of bed covers and looked up immediately, then cursed when he heard the chime that indicated he'd lost the level. He set his phone aside and rushed over to the bed, unsure whether he'd imagined the sound of Edd groaning.   
        "Babe?" he whispered softly, using his thumb to sweep aside a small piece of black hair that had fallen onto his face. The doctor had removed Edd's hat immediately after he'd arrived, and the scar stood out sharply against the dark hair on the teen's head, and the dark red slice across his forehead that was slowly healing.   
        "Nnn..." Edd made a small noise and shifted again, and Kevin's heart soared.  
        "Double D...Edd...babe...I'm here," he whispered, grabbing Edd's hand and running his thumb along the length of it. "Wake up," he demanded in a low tone, and was pleased to feel Edd squeeze his hand gently as his eyes fluttered open.   
        "Ow..."   
        "Shh, don't try to move. You've been in a coma for a while, I wouldn't be surprised if you were in a lot of pain." Kevin reprimanded the slender boy softly, his eyes welling up, and he placed a gentle kiss against Edd's hand.   
        "Wh-what happened," the black-haired boy asked, his voice raspy from lack of use.  
        "Don't worry about that now, you're safe now," Kevin assured him and his boyfriend relaxed, sinking into the pillow behind him and closed his eyes.   
        "You said a coma...how long?"   
        "'Bout a week," Kevin said and Edd made a noise of confirmation in the back of his throat, indicating he'd heard. "God, I missed you so fucking much," the redhead whispered and then the tears came. This had been the worst week ever for him. He'd never cried more than a few times in his life and now all of a sudden this had happened and now he was a bawling moron. Edd squeezed his hand shakily, putting as much strength into it as he could, which considering his weakened state, wasn't much.   
        "I forgot to tell you something," Edd whispered, his voice cracking as he did so. Kevin grabbed a bottle of water from his bag and opened it, helping Edd drink from it before laying him back down and giving him a questioning gaze.   
        "What is that?"  
        "The night we got together...you told me you loved me..." Edd coughed violently and Kevin rubbed his back soothingly, offering him more water, which Edd declined. "I forgot to tell you that I l-love you too." He blushed and smiled down at his hands, which were clasped in his lap. When Kevin didn't respond, he glanced up to see that Kevin was staring at him with a trembling smile. "Are you alright?"   
        "I'm better than alright," Kevin admitted in a voice that sounded simultaneously like he was crying and laughing, and he gave Edd a tight hug, which he quickly reciprocated. "I love you," he told the nerd.   
        "I love you too," Edd smiled gently and they shared a tender kiss.   
        "I should probably tell the doctors you woke up," Kevin said, grinning while he wiped his eyes with the sleeve of his green hoodie, and he left the room. Edd laid back against the pillow on the bed, and all of a sudden he felt very tired. He closed his eyes and quickly fell into a deep sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Drama, drama, drama! I promise that the next one won't be nearly as angsty! I'll try to upload that one either today or tomorrow, but in the meantime, here you are!


	9. I Need You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Edd is finally released from the hospital, and they make love.
> 
> ****SMUT WARNING!!!**** 
> 
> If you do not wish to read smut, you can skip ahead, this chapter isn't important to the story line, but I will add a brief chapter summary to the beginning of the next chapter if you really want to know what happens. Thanks for your patience!

        Edd remained in the hospital for another two weeks as his body healed. When he was told he was good to go home, Kevin borrowed his mother's car and picked him up. Edd stood outside the hospital, reading a book while he waited for his boyfriend. Kevin had been nice enough to go to the library for him, and had collected a stack of books that he thought Edd might enjoy. The one clutched in the boys long fingers sported the name Peace Like a River, and Edd found he was rather enjoying it. It contained quite a lot of symbolism, something he was very fond of, and the story line, while confusing at times, genuinely interested him.  
        The sound of an engine pulling up caught his attention and he turned to see Kevin pulling up in a silver Acura. He grinned, sliding the slip of paper he was using as a bookmark into place, and climbed into the car gingerly. His body was rather sore, still covered in bruises from the bully's beating. Kevin noticed the caution with which his boyfriend clambered in and frowned, but he didn't comment. He was no longer suspended, to his mother's relief, but people avoided him in the halls now. After sending Nazz's boyfriend to the precipice of death, nobody wished to mess with him. Nobody except the raven-haired boy sitting in the passenger seat next to him.   
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Kevin reached out and took Edd's hand, squeezing it gently before withdrawing so he could drive. He hated stick shifts, but he had insisted insisted on taking his boyfriend home, and what with his current condition, taking the motorcycle was out of the question.   
"I'm better than I was at any rate," Edd responding, smiling. This was true. The cut on his lip had almost completely healed, his nose had been reset and held in place and no longer seemed to be broken, and the bruising had mostly faded from his face and arms. The only thing that hadn't seemed to heal was the wound on Edd's forehead. It had, of course, gotten better during his stay, but the doctors prohibited Edd's wearing of hats for another month. For this reason, the boy had begun wearing hoodies with the hoods pulled up to hide the pre-existing scar. The doctor disapproved of the hoods, but as they never truly touched the gash, he couldn't exactly complain.   
"I'm glad to hear it." Kevin flashed him a brief smile before pulling away from the pick-up zone and heading towards the cul-de-sac. He and his mother had agreed that he could stay at Edd's and take care of him for a week or so, as long as his grades didn't slip and he got all his homework done. She hadn't yet learned that the two were dating, and Kevin wanted to keep it that way, so he had never introduced her to his boyfriend.   
Edd noticed Kevin's frown and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. The athlete looked over and his face softened into a smile. "I'm glad you're coming home."   
        "Me too. While the sterile atmosphere of the hospital was pleasant, it will be a nice change to sleep in my own bed once again." Edd leaned against the window and closed his eyes, yawning. Kevin glanced over and smiled again. His boyfriend was positively adorable, and he somehow was completely oblivious to this fact. They remained silent for the rest of the five minute drive, and when Kevin finally pulled up to Edd's house, he was amused to see the nerd fast asleep in the passenger seat. He reached over to lightly shake him.   
        "Hey, dork, wake up," he said, and Edd's eyes opened as he let out a large yawn.   
        "Are we there yet?" Edd asked sleepily, and Kevin couldn't help but chuckle.   
        "You're so adorable when you're sleepy," the redhead said and leaned over the divide to kiss the teen's cheek. "Yea, we're here, go and put your stuff away, I gotta give the car back to mom." The black-haired boy nodded, still sleepy, and gathered his stuff. He didn't have much, just what he'd asked Kevin to bring him, the majority of which was mainly school supplies and books. Kevin had also been taking care of the house while Edd had been gone, watering Jim the cactus, dusting the shelves and counters, vacuuming the rugs and washing the windows. Why Edd did all of these every day he had no clue, but he made sure to do them so his boyfriend wouldn't feel uncomfortable when he came home.   
        Having dropped off the car and keys to his mother and snagging his duffle bag and backpack containing everything he'd need for the week, Kevin traipsed back over to the smaller boy's house. He let himself in, doubting that Edd would mind, and slipped off his shoes at the door. "Where you at?" he called, and heard a muffled response from upstairs. Following the sound of the noise led him to the second floor restroom, where Edd was examining the gash on his forehead in the mirror. Kevin set his stuff on the floor and snuck up behind him, wrapping his arms around his shorter boyfriend's waist and nuzzling his neck. "What's up?"   
        "Greetings," responded Edd, twisting around so he was facing the taller athlete. He wrapped his arms around the jock's shoulders and gave him a quick kiss, then shrieked when Kevin picked him up bridal style and carried him back to his bedroom. Edd flailed around wildly at first, then clung onto his boyfriend's neck for dear life. Kevin grinned at the slender boy's antics, trying to hold back a chuckle, but failing miserably. Edd was just far too cute for his own good. This thought made him cling to his boyfriend, suddenly very possessive, and Edd giggled, wrapping him up in a hug.   
        "Can I ask you to promise something to me?" Kevin gently laid the skinny, black-haired teen on the bed, then sat next to him as he asked. When Edd nodded, he said "Promise you'll never leave me?"   
        Edd gave him a half bemused, half sad look. "That's a stupid promise. Of course I'll never leave you."  
        Kevin sighed, bumping his head into Edd's shoulder as he wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist. "Good. Because you're like air to me. I can't live without you. I need you... When I heard that Levi beat you up and that you were in a coma, I felt like I couldn't breathe. All the air was drained from me... It made me realize that I can't bear to be without you. Your smile, your jokes, your eyes. All of it. I need you."  
        To Edd's surprise, he realized that Kevin was crying, his tears soaking into the shoulder of his grey hoodie. He was clutching onto the fabric around Edd's waist and shaking like a leaf in the wind. He'd never seen such anguish before. It seemed to be like waves crashing against a cliff face, a sudden bout of uncontrollable sobbing coupled with the soft relief of a lull, then another attack. Edd held the teen close to him, trying his best to soothe him, but unsure what exactly he needed to do. He settled with gently stroking his hair and muttering "It's okay, I'm here," on repeat until his boyfriend's sobs lessened into a quiet hiccuping.   
        Kevin sat up, relinquishing his hold on the slender boy's waist and using the sleeve of his trademark green hoodie to wipe away his tears. Edd used his grey one to remove the excess moisture from his face, and smiled at the athlete, who was still hiccuping. "C-can we just cuddle?" Kevin asked him and Edd nodded. They removed their now-soaked hoodies, then curled up together under the covers with Edd snuggled against the other's muscular chest. The redhead pressed a gentle kiss to Edd's hair, being careful to avoid the gash, and whispered a quiet "I love you."  
        "I love you too," came the response, and they drifted into oblivion.   
        The next morning, Kevin woke up late. Thankfully, it was a Saturday, but even if it hadn't been he wouldn't have cared enough to go to school. His main priority was Double D. He'd already been reprimanded heartily by Edd, saying that if he didn't go to school, he would fail and have to repeat the year, and he'd reluctantly agreed, getting in homework in between kisses and documentaries about sharks and lemurs.   
        His annoyance at waking up was quickly diminished when he felt Edd shift against his chest, making a small noise in the back of his throat that almost sounded like a cat mewling. Kevin blushed. His boyfriend was so fucking adorable that sometimes he couldn't stand it. His blush only deepened when the teen muttered what sounded like "Kevin..." while snuggling closer.   
        The redhead draped his arm over the smaller boy's body and rested his head against the other's black hair. Another mewling noise came from Edd and he grinned, closing his eyes. However, they only shot back open again when he heard the slender teen muttering "Harder," and he looked down as his boyfriend squirmed in his arms. A needy look crossed the boy's sleeping face, and his lips moved of their own accord. Kevin stared. If he hadn't known any better, he would've claimed that Edd was dreaming about... the redhead's cheeks almost matched his hair at this point. It wasn't possible...was it?   
        His question was answered shortly after, however, as Edd arched his back and groaned out Kevin's name once again. This was making the athlete uncomfortably aroused, and his pants were beginning to feel very tight as he watched the boy's facial expressions and heard the little mewling whimpers. If he was like this from just a dream, Kevin could only imagine what the real thing would be like. Finally he could hold back no longer, and lowered his mouth to the soft flesh of Edd's neck, biting down gently. A raspy moan escaped his boyfriend's lips, and Kevin repeated the action, taking care not to leave any incriminating marks. He could feel Edd shift beneath him as once again he sunk his teeth down, and the vibrations of another moan making its way up the boy's pale throat.   
        It took great amounts of self control to pull himself back from his boyfriend and attempt to wake him. He knew it would be wrong to do this while the boy was asleep, even if he was sexily moaning his name and whimpering like a lost kitten. He shook Edd gently, then a little bit harder until his eyes fluttered open blearily. When he saw Kevin staring at him with a flushed face, he blushed deeply. He had been dreaming about something rather risque, and was hoping beyond hope that he had not betrayed his feelings. However, the look on Kevin's face suggested that his hopes were in vain and that he had indeed showed the nature of his dream rather vividly. The next words spoken confirmed this fact.   
        "Y-you were talking in your sleep...and uh...moving." Kevin was blushing very deeply, and his hand went to rub the back of his neck. "You said my name a few times...and you were moaning too..." Edd hid his face in embarrassment, and Kevin immediately added an addendum. "I mean, not that that it was a bad thing! It actually kinda...uh...you know..." He shifted his legs, indicating that there was a pressure there, and Edd understood immediately.   
        "M-my apologies! I simply cannot control what I dream about or what my body does while I am in the REM stage. It appears as though I began dreaming about...ahem...sexual encounters of sorts...with you...." Edd looked up at his boyfriend's face, and the look he was being given was one of hunger and desire. 

        "You drive me fucking crazy, Edd.." Kevin growled in the back of his throat, staring down at the slender boy next to him with an uncomfortable throbbing in his groin consuming his thoughts. "I want to take you so badly..." he breathed and pressed a kiss just below Edd's ear, then nipped the skin there gently.   
        The sound that Double D made in response to the nip surprised both of them. It was high pitched and desperate, like he needed more and could not get enough. Kevin took this to be a good sign, and repeated the motion a little further down the boy's slender neck. Sure enough, it elicited another pleasant reaction, and soon Edd was gasping about how he wanted it too, for Kevin to be his first.   
        The athlete lost control at these words, and he shoved himself against Edd, smashing their lips together in a greedy motion, flicking his tongue against the other's pale lips. When the smaller boy allowed his lips to part, the redhead wasted no time entering and exploring the cavern opened to him with his tongue, and Edd allowed it to happen, clutching onto his boyfriend's shoulders as their tongues spun around in a wild dance. Kevin found himself lying between the shorter boy's legs, desperately attacking Edd's bruised lips. His knee brushed against the other's groin and Edd let out another mewling whimper.   
        The sound drove Kevin crazy. He didn't think that Edd could be any cuter. "Double D..." he groaned into Eddward's mouth and used the hand he wasn't using to prop himself up to tug up the hem of Edd's shirt and run his calloused fingertips along the boy's stomach. This drew another shaky groan from the boy's lips, and the sound melted into Kevin's mouth. He pulled away, trailing a line of kisses from the side of his mouth, down to the teen's jaw, pausing to nip at his neck, then making a final journey towards the boy's collarbones, which stood out clearly against his pale form.   
        "C-can I take this off you?" Kevin asked, gesturing toward the hoodie that Edd still had on, and he nodded. Kevin bunched up the fabric in his hands and tugged it over the boy's head, taking care to avoid hitting the wound on the boy's forehead, before throwing it down to the floor. Edd pulled at the older boy's hoodie as well, indicating his desire for the redhead to shed his clothing. Kevin didn't need telling twice, and pulled the hoodie off, giving Edd a perfect view of his sculpted abs.   
        Edd had always known that his boyfriend was rather muscular, but seeing all the muscle up close intimidated him. He hated how lacking he was in that department, especially since the hospital stay had melted another twenty pounds off his already insanely skinny physic. He felt the urge to cower, cover himself and his ugly body in any way possible, but Kevin's loving gaze as he trailed his fingers along the teen's chest and stomach removed all thoughts of such an act from his mind. He'd never seen such pure adoration for anything before, and this particular source was directed at him from the boy who had bullied him for years during childhood. It was a rather unnerving feeling, but one he could certainly get used to.   
        He shuddered as he felt the athlete's lips brush along his stomach, just below his diaphragm. Another kiss here, a nibble there, and a finger sweeping across the pale, unmarked flesh every once in a while.   
        "I want to mark you." Kevin finally announced, and when Edd gave him a confused look, he elaborated. "As mine. I want to leave a mark that proves you belong to me and no one else." Edd nodded timidly, but laid back as Kevin kissed his chest. "This might sting a little," he warned, and bit. Edd moaned loudly in response. How could the pain he was feeling be pleasurable at the same time? The feeling of teeth and sucking made Double D crave more, and he pulled Kevin closer as he left the mark that claimed him as his. When he finally pulled away, a dark mark directly above the boy's heart was the only indication that Kevin had even been there at all. It was perfect, a little reminder that Kevin would never let anyone take him away from him again.  
        Kevin looked down at the teen laying in front of him, his chest heaving as he returned the athlete's gaze. A sweet kiss was shared between them in a brief moment of calm before the pressure being exerted on his pelvis by his jeans became painful and he wriggled away, undoing the button and slipping them off, Edd watching him as he did so. To him this seemed like an extremely intimate moment. He'd seen the teen strip before, what with sharing the same gym class, but this time is was a personal thing, a show of trust as he removed them completely, leaving him in only his red boxers. Tossing the pants nonchalantly on the floor, he positioned himself over his boyfriend yet again. 

        Edd flushed deeply as their lips connected, their pelvises grinding together, making them both moan as they touched through the three layers of fabric. Kevin hooked a finger into the the waistband of Edd's sweatpants, tugging them away from his hips. The black-haired teen bit his bottom lip as he lifted his hips so his boyfriend could help him remove the pants with more ease. Before he knew it, they were both laying on the bed in only their underwear, each with a heated face and lustful thoughts. 

        Kevin drew his fingers down Edd's body, feeling the shape of his collarbone, his ribs, his stomach and his hips before finally moving to the place he know his boyfriend was aching for him to touch. He slowly rubbed along the length through his boxers, drawing out quiet moans of ecstasy from the ravenette. He stroked slowly teasing the teen as much as possible before kissing him roughly, nipping at the boy's sensitive lips. "I'm going to take these off now," he whispered, and Edd covered his face in embarrassment as his boyfriend exposed him completely. His erect member was faced with the cool breeze as Kevin yet again tossed the offending article of clothing to the floor.   
        Kisses were once again trailed down Double D's body as the redhead made his way down to the teen's throbbing cock, placing a final one on the tip and making his boyfriend shudder. A few strokes of his hand, then his mouth pushed down on it, enveloping his penis with warmth. A delicious whining moan split the air as Edd bucked his hips into the athlete's waiting mouth, almost making him gag, and his fingers tangled once again in his shaggy hair. "G-god Kevin," he moaned, only making the boy's mouth tighten on him, and he gasped again.   
        Kevin was having a fun time teasing the boy. He'd never been with another guy like this before, but he knew his own sensitive spots and what he liked, so he used this knowledge to mercilessly attack all the right spots on his squirming boyfriend. Sure enough, he managed to get Kevin's hips to lift a few times as he spasmed, the pleasure nearly overtaking him.   
        "K-Kevin...I-I appear to be r-reaching climax..." he breathed as he bucked once again, and Kevin pulled off with a pop, which made Edd moan once again.   
        "D-don't stop," he begged with lust-filled eyes, and Kevin chuckled, pressing a kiss to Edd's cheek. 

        "I'm not going to. I'm going to do something way better. Hold on." He stood up, walking over to his discarded jeans, and rummaging in the pocket. "I figured you'd want these," said, turning back to Edd with a condom and lube. Blushing, the black-haired teen nodded.   
        "They are most definitely a good idea," he admitted. Kevin grinned and swaggered back, laying the items on the bed and finally letting his own erect member spring free as he kicked away his boxers. The redhead seemed to be perfectly confident in his body, even relishing the stares he was receiving from Edd. He was a little bit larger than Edd had imagined in his fantasies, and he gulped, now a little bit worried. Kevin noticed the preoccupied expression on his boyfriend's face and bent down to give him a tender kiss.  
        "Don't worry, I'll be gentle," he promised, and proceeded to rip open the wrapper on the condom, then rolled it on deliberately. "Wanna help?" he teased, wiggling the packet of lube and Edd hid his face in embarrassment once again. Kevin laughed at how adorable his boyfriend was, tearing the packet carefully and spreading the clear substance onto the surface of the condom. "You ready?" he asked and the ravenette finally uncovered his face.   
        "As I'll ever be," he said shyly, and Kevin grinned, climbing over him once again so he could position himself against the entrance. Edd closed his eyes tightly, preparing for the moment of entry, but as Kevin pushed in, his face contorted into a look of pain.   
        "Are you okay D? Do we need to do this sometime else?" Kevin asked worriedly, and Edd shook his head.   
        "J-just please go slow.." he whimpered, and the athlete nodded, slowly easing his way in until he was all the way inside.   
        "You doing okay?"   
        "Y-yes," Edd answered, breathing out forcefully as though he were steeling himself for what to come.   
        "I'm going to start moving now," Kevin informed the boy, and pulled out slowly before thrusting in again. Edd's cry of ecstasy indicated he'd hit the boy's sweet spot, and he moaned in response, both from the feeling of his boyfriend wrapped around him and the sound of the boy he loved being pleasured. "God you're so fucking sexy," he muttered, and chuckled when Edd blushed and reprimanded him softly about his cursing. "Mmm I think the cursing is necessary," he grinned.   
        "Hardly, but please resume," the black-haired boy pleaded, and the athlete complied, pushing himself in repeatedly, drawing out moans like clockwork from the both of them. He leaned down to plant another kiss as his thrusting slowed slightly, and Edd grabbed the boy, pulling him down on him. Kevin held himself up with his hands so he could continue his motions, but leaned his head down so the teen could kiss him deeply. Finally the ravenette had to break away so he could let out another groan of pleasure, and Kevin let his head hang loose as he began going faster.   
        "Fuck!" His boyfriend screamed the word, and Kevin nearly stopped to stare. What with how much the teen seemed to hate cursing, the fact that he had just bellowed the word 'fuck' must have meant he was truly enjoying himself. He started thrusting into Edd with a fury matching that of a madman. The sudden increase in force and the way he was angled made Edd cry out. "I-I'm almost there!" he screamed, and Kevin responded by biting his collarbone hard, then kissing him fervently. With a noise that resembled the bellowing of a large animal, Edd's body convulsed, and his cum coated their stomachs. Kevin thrust slower, letting his boyfriend riding out his orgasm as he in turn reached his climax. "Messy messy messy," he heard the dark-haired boy say as he slowly pulled out, and he cracked up laughing.   
        "God you haven't changed," he said between snorts, and Edd stuck out his tongue in an undignified fashion.   
        "For your information, I find this to be rather disgusting," he gestured at his glistening torso, which was covered with semen and sweat from both him and Kevin.   
        "Yea, you're right, I think a shower sounds good," consented the older teen, and Edd jumped up to turn on the hot water. Kevin watched him go, grinning, then pulled off the rubber and chucked it in the trash after wrapping it in a Kleenex. He followed his boyfriend, who was fussing with the dial in the shower, trying to find the perfect temperature, and he kissed the boy's cheek. "Have I mentioned I love you today?" he asked innocently, and Edd's cheeks darkened.   
        "I-if you have I must have forgotten...coitus will certainly do that to a person," he answered, embarrassed.  
        "Coitus?" Kevin raised an eyebrow at his boyfriend, and his blush deepened.   
        "Coitus, intercourse, fornication, copulation, sex."   
        "Alright, alright, I get it!" Kevin held his hands up jokingly, grinning widely. "You're such a dork," he told him, beaming, and Edd placed a soft kiss on his lips.   
        "Let's take that shower now."   
        "Agreed."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They did ittttt!!! Double D is no longer a virgin, and they're in love :) Happy times! Sorry, I uploaded this a day later than I said I would, I was extremely busy yesterday. I might not update nearly as frequently from here on out, as I need to begin prepping for college, but I will be sure to post as frequently as possible! Leave a comment if you have any ideas for the future that you really want to see play out, and I will try to take them into consideration.  
> Also: Oh my gosh the amount of support is really overwhelming :) Almost 300 hits and over 20 kudos! Thank you so much :) These things really let me know you like the story and make me want to do more so thank you!  
> Au revoir for now!


	10. It's Better to Have Loved and Lost

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jealousy and a sex change ;)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the chapter summary for Chapter 9 as promised, for those who didn't want to read the smut :)
> 
> Edd comes home from the hospital, and Kevin decides to spend the next week at his house so he can care of him. Edd's wounds have mostly healed, and the concussion is gone, but the gash from Levi's attack still hasn't healed and he is not allowed to wear the beanie *gasp* so he wears hoodies instead. When they are all settled in at Edd's house, Kevin asks Edd to promise to never leave him, then breaks down crying, sobbing about how much he needs Double D. They sleep in each other's arms, and when Kevin wakes up the next morning, D is having a rather... interesting dream. They end up making love (aww) and they reestablish that they love each other. 
> 
> So yea, that's the very very short version of it, and I'm really sorry about how bad my writing is in this chapter. I've been really tired, bogged down with tons of homework and I just started nine hour shifts at my new job, so I barely have any time for stuff I want to do anymore, and when I do, it's directed towards my NaNoWriMo project (if you don't know what that is, check it out!) 
> 
> Thanks again for being so patient with me, guys. I'm going to be uploading even less, thanks to the NaNoWriMo, but I'll try and post once a week. If that doesn't happen please don't get mad. Once again, thanks for all the support guys! You rock.

        It was not until two weeks later that Edd returned to school, although Kevin always made sure to bring him his homework. He stayed in bed most of the time, following the doctor's orders to take it easy until he was well enough to walk without pain. The only good thing to come out of this whole ordeal, in Edd's opinion at least, was that he no longer had to take Physical Education, instead becoming the nurse's aide for the first time since junior high. He'd developed a close relationship with the woman, but never assisted her until after his hospital stay.   
        Edd's bruises were gone at this point, and his nose had finally set once again, though the gash across his forehead was not entirely healed. To his relief, a quick doctor's visit had resulted in him telling the teen that he could once again begin wearing his beanie, although he would have to bandage the wound first, and he wasn't allowed to wear it at home. Kevin wasn't nearly as plesser by this order as his boyfriend was, but he understood the attachment to the hat. To him it was more of an artifact of nostalgia rather than an object necessary to make him feel more secure, yet he was empathetic.   
        It was mid-October when finally Edd returned. Kevin had been back at school for almost a month, and had slowly regained a good percentage of his friends, though Nazz still refused to talk to him. Levi had quit football, presumably because he was afraid of Kevin, and most of his teammates also avoided him for fear of being pulverized like their previous captain was. The fear that the redhead generated in the jocks would ensure that they would leave his boyfriend along when he came back, and this was a comforting thought to him. However, he still would not tell anyone about his relationship with the dork. He couldn't risk the safety of his love.   
        When Double D came back, he was swarmed by people who wanted to make sure he was alright. Ed and Eddy were of course not part of the group, having spent time with him once he was out of the hospital. Once he'd woken up from the coma, he hadn't wished to talk with anybody other than Kevin, but had sent them a quick call to let them know he was fine and would see them again when he was released. They'd been extremely relieved to learn he was okay. The only news they'd heard of his condition was based off of rumors, and the grapevine was not a reliable source of information. Regardless, everyone was positively relieved to have Double D back.   
        The next week was uneventful, to say the least. Kevin took Edd to all of his classes to make sure he wasn't jumped, and everyone was well aware that they were friends now, and not to mess with the nerd. There were rumors flying around that they were dating, but no one had been able to confirm, as the two had agreed to maintain secrecy when it came to their relationship. The black-haired teen was always flanked by either Ed, Eddy, or Kevin at school, and he spent his time afterwards either in Kevin's company or the Eds', always helping with homework while attempting to make progress on his own.   
        Since the time they had slept together, Kevin and Edd hadn't tried again, choosing to merely cuddle and drift off to dreamland together. It had been on their minds, but they hadn't brought it up. They didn't need to; they knew their relationship was steady, and while the physical intimacy had been great, both were too busy to try again for the time being.   
        One night, about two weeks after Edd had resumed his studies, he found himself laying on the floor of his living room with his books spread out before him. His boyfriend was sitting on the couch, concentrating on a particularly difficult problem and chewing on the end of his pencil. Double D was ignoring his homework, choosing instead to stare dreamily at the redhead, who failed to notice the attention. He scribbled something down, stared at the response then flipped the pencil over so he could erase what he'd just written.   
        "Uuuggggghhhh I hate Calculus," he complained, finally putting aside the work and making a noise of disgust. "It's so boring and I'm never gonna use it," he rolled off the couch and flopped face down onto the floor. His boyfriend snickered, finding the whole ordeal very amusing.   
        "There are lots of reasons Calculus is important, Kevin. Not that it matters, you're in precalc," he reminded the boy softly.   
        "Well if that's the case, I'm never fucking taking Calculus," he groaned, lifting his head to give Edd a red-eyed glare then let his head fall back to the floor. "Lemme sleep."  
        "It is only seven at night! We haven't even had dinner yet!" the boy proclaimed, astonished. The redhead made yet another noise of discontentment.   
        "Then let's get dinner and we can sleep! Do you want pizza or something?"   
        "I was thinking that maybe we could cook tonight," Edd suggested, and Kevin looked up, his attention caught.   
        "We've never actually cooked dinner, have we? We've either been at the hospital, ordered take out or went out to eat. Or that one dinner at Rolf's," he added, making a grossed out face. The food had been truly awful, even for Kevin, who was not a picky eater.   
        Edd giggled at his boyfriend's look, then shook his head. "I figured it would be a nice change." He sounded shy, like a young teen telling the person he liked that he had a crush on them. Kevin found it to be positively adorable. He kissed the teen softly, melting against his warm lips. He'd never loved anyone this much. How could he, when the world paled in comparison to the boy's radiance. He was in love with Edd, and he took every moment he possibly could to show him just how much. They pulled away, leaning their foreheads together, and Kevin smiled at the younger boy, staring into his eyes. Blue gazed into green, the silence comfortable rather than awkward, and they just breathed in each other's scent. Edd was the first to pull away, turning towards the kitchen to begin with dinner.   
        They spent the next half hour laughing, joking, cutting vegetables, boiling water, and just enjoying each other's company. They'd decided on spaghetti; not the most romantic or one of the cleaner choices, but it was what they were in the mood for. Kevin was impressed with his boyfriends knowledge of cooking, though he supposed he shouldn't be, considering how much he knew. The boy had everything down to a science. He knew precisely how much water for how much pasta, plus any adjustments they needed to account for altitude and humidity. He excitedly explained the chemistry behind flavor, talking about various chemicals that Kevin had no clue how he managed to pronounce and generally confusing the athletic teen. But the redhead tried his best to understand, leaning against the counter and asking questions every so often. Edd was delighted by his sudden interest, and he failed to notice the jock's loving gaze as he gesticulated wildly, blabbering.   
        His monologue was cut short by a sudden ringing. Kevin had no clue what it was or where it was coming from, but Edd's dive towards his backpack answered his question.   
        "Hello?" He held the phone up to his ear. Kevin wanted to know who he was walking to, but knew better than to pry. He was sorely tempted to interrupt, however, when he saw the grin spread across his boyfriend's face. "You should have told me earlier! I didn't know you were stopping by! I haven't seen you in what, a year? Maybe two?" Kevin scowled. He wasn't normally a jealous person, but the joy with which the teen was speaking twisted his heart. He leaned back against the counter, crossing his arms.   
        "Who is it?" he asked, but was shushed by the excited black-haired boy.   
        "Sorry, that was my boyfriend," Double D told whoever was on the other end nonchalantly. Kevin's heart nearly stopped. Who was it? He was dying to know. Obviously Edd trusted him enough to tell him that he was dating Kevin... he wouldn't even have told Nazz that if they still talked. It wasn't that he didn't trust her, it was more that he wanted to keep the boy all to himself. So the fact that he'd just spilled their greatest secret like it was nothing pissed him off.   
        He turned on his heel, snatching his backpack from the floor and his shoes from next to the door, not even bothering to put them on before leaving the house, slamming the door behind him. He was fuming, and didn't even notice the person in the street until he bumped into them. He muttered a quiet apology, and pushed past the person, a rather attractive young man with blue hair which had to have been dyed, broad shoulders and bright eyes. He heard the boy acknowledge him before returning to the phone call.   
        "Yea, Double D! I'm outside if you wanna talk!"   
        Kevin's blood boiled. Apparently Edd hadn't even noticed that he left, and now he was standing in the middle of the street with no shoes on, listening to the person talk to his boyfriend on the phone in an obnoxiously loud voice. He probably would have punched the boy in the face, but he decided not to give his boyfriend another reason to be mad at him. He stalked to his house, went inside, locked the door, then went up to his bedroom. As expected, he was alone in the house, the only company he had the sound of his clock making soft ticking noises. He gruffly ripped open the curtain in time to see his boyfriend run out and hug the teen in the middle of the street. His heart lurched.  
        Whoever this boy was, he hated him. And he hated him even more when the person, whoever he was, placed a kiss to his boyfriend's temple. To Edd's credit, he did give a sad look in the direction of Kevin's house, but then he was briskly dragged away by the man. The athlete dropped the curtain, sprawling out on his bed. He didn't know why he was so jealous all of a sudden. Since Double D had gotten out of the hospital, he'd had girls practically swarming around him. The sudden attention had made him rather uncomfortable, but Kevin didn't see them as a threat, instead viewing them as a challenge, if even that.   
        Yet, out of the blue, there was this dude, who Double D was obviously close friends with. It was weird how familiar he looked... yet Kevin couldn't place him. Did he go to their school? He didn't think so... He mulled over it for a while before angrily turning onto his side to glare at his alarm clock. 7:46. Ugh, it was far too early to go to sleep. He shifted his weight so he fell onto his back once again, and stared at the ceiling. He wished that Edd would at least have texted him to tell him what was going on. 'I don't fucking care at all,' he thought to himself angrily, and shut his eyes. He'd at least try to get some sleep. Anything was better than being awake.   
        Across the town, Edd was laughing. His friend, so despised by Kevin, had just cracked a witty joke based around chemistry, something about scientists being 'boron' and getting no 'reaction'. For some reason he'd found it hilarious. He was a little worried about Kevin, as he had only noticed he was gone when the door slammed, and by the time he got outside, he was too late. His boyfriend was nowhere to be found. He did catch a faint hint of movement from behind the athlete's window, so he was hoping that Kevin was just at home. If so, he'd talk to him later, as his blue-haired friend had dragged him off.   
        Ah yes, the friend. He turned his attention back to him. Marie Kanker, at the age of fifteen, had suddenly decided she wanted to be a man. It was rather apparent, due to just how tomboyish she had remained over the years, but never the less, it had surprised those around her. She had gotten a crew cut within three days of the decision, began binding her breasts, and had even gotten a prescription for testosterone from the doctor. Now, nearly two years later, she was now a he, and he, duly named Mark, was sitting in front of Edd.   
        They'd remained close friends throughout the years, even after their breakup and the latter's move to a different town. All the Kankers with the exception of May, who wanted to stay close to Ed, had been forced to relocate after their mom had gotten a decent paying job in the city, so they ditched their trailer at the Park 'N' Flush and let themselves be swept up into their new life of luxury.   
        "So, you've got a boyfriend now! Who is it?" Mark asked, trailing a finger along the top of his glass and smiling coyly at Edd, who promptly began blushing.   
        "O-oh...right! Uhm, you might find this a little hard to believe but... it's Kevin," Edd admitted, then turned an even darker shade of red. Mark's jaw dropped.   
        "Kevin? As in Kevin, Kevin? The jock dude who was a total dick to you for years?"   
        "He wasn't that bad," Edd muttered. "He was actually pretty nice to me most of the time, he just hated Ed and Eddy."   
        "Dude! I can't believe you didn't tell me! How long have you guys been together?" he pried, enjoying making Edd's face and ears flush even more.   
        "A-about a month, maybe a little bit more," Edd hid his face under his beanie, almost ripping off the bandage laying across the wound on his forehead. Mark practically squealed, a very girlish thing to do for a person who had been dead set on being a guy for the last few years.   
        "You've been dating for that long?! You should have TOLD me!"   
        The conversation progressed like that for a while, talking about various relationships and boyfriends and girlfriends, mainly ones that Mark had managed to get with. According to him, 'chick dig a dude who used to be a chick.' This earned an eye roll from Edd, but a grin as well. Finally they left the cafe in which they'd been chatting, Mark throwing a few extra dollars on the table for the nice waitress who'd served them. Edd in the meantime sent his boyfriend a text message: 

        Double D: Hey darling, I'm sorry about earlier. I hope you're not mad. I love you and I'll see you tomorrow. 

        Mark slung an oddly muscular arm around Edd's shoulder and they sauntered together to Edd's house, where they spent the rest of the night chatting and laughing together.   
        Kevin, however, spent the night in tears. 


	11. The End of Us or Just the End?

        Kevin flat out refused to talk to Edd for the next several days, much to the smarter boy's dismay. He was miserable without his boyfriend, failing to eat, sleep or even do his homework while he tried in any way possible to get the jock's attention. Kevin was simply too pissed to talk, and every time his phone buzzed with a new text from Double D, he ignored it and turned off his phone. He threw himself into his sports and his studies, brushing past Edd without looking at him whenever they passed in the hallway and pointedly laughing whenever someone made a joke about the scrawny boy. He had no intentions of leaving the teen, but he wanted to truly get his point across: he was angry about the whole incident with the boy Edd had so easily shared their relationship status with.   
        Edd, however, was clueless. He knew he should have told his boyfriend who was on the other end of the phone, but this hissy fit was ridiculous. Why his boyfriend who was nearly eighteen years old was acting like a bratty three year old was beyond him. He tried to catch the boy's attention, then decided to match his cold expression. Kevin noticed immediately when the texts stopped coming, and he became increasingly worried. He knew he was acting poorly, but could Edd have given up on them? He hoped not, but he was still unwilling to speak to his boyfriend.   
        It took Kevin an entire week to get over himself and set his pride aside long enough to speak to Double D. He was met with a cold glare when he approached, and his heart sank in his chest.   
        "Look, Double D, I'm really sorry..." he said, but Edd was having none of it.   
        "No, you look Kevin," he said with a caustic bite in his tone that caught the jock's attention immediately. "I don't know what in the blazes I did to earn this awful treatment you've been forcing me to endure the last seven days, but I am sick of your attitude. Tell me what I did wrong immediately."   
        Kevin's jaw dropped. Here they were, standing next to Double D's locker, surrounded by people, and the shy nerd had gathered enough courage to not only tell him off, but to demand a response. His mind reeled, unable to form a proper answer, and Edd huffed.   
        "I see. I apologize, Kevin, but I was incorrect. This could never have worked. You're far too temperamental and violent, and obviously stupid as well, as your mind appears to work at the speed of sloth." He continued to rant for another full minute, hoping to elicit a reaction from the jock, but nothing happened until he spoke the last few words quietly. "I am sorry, but I can no longer do this. You and I are through. Goodbye, Kevin." Edd stalked away, leaving Kevin to stare at the space where his boyfriend had been standing a moment prior. But he was no longer there, and he was no longer the jock's boyfriend.   
        "No...wait...Edd...!" he called after the nerd, but it was too late. He was gone. Kevin sank to the floor, his head pressed against a random locker, and his eyes stung as tears welled up in his eyes. They had been so happy for months...but now it was all over... if only he hadn't been so jealous and possessive...or if he hadn't reacted the way he did... anything but this...   
        Kevin skipped the rest of that day. And the next day. And the next day. And the next one as well. When Friday rolled around, Edd found himself, to his immense annoyance, worried about the boy. Even if the jock hated school, he'd never been known to just leave. Double D even asked the football coach if Kevin had been to practice, to which he replied with a hearty no, then proceeded to tell Edd to tell the boy that if he didn't get his butt back to practice he'd be kicked off the team. Edd was honestly concerned, but he knew he shouldn't be. The boy would show up sooner or later. He cherished his spot on the team far too much to skip practice enough times to be kicked off. But another five days later, the boy still hadn't shown up, and he had to take matters into his own hands.   
        "Hey, Nazz," he greeted the perky cheerleader, who was standing next to the water fountain chatting to some other members of the cheer squad. She looked up and smiled at him.   
        "Oh, hey Double D! How are ya?" she asked, glancing over his face quickly before returning her gaze to his eyes. She obviously still felt guilty about the whole Levi ordeal.   
        "I am doing well, but I apologize, I cannot engage in small talk. I have a rather important question for you," he told her, and her eyebrows pulled together in confusion.   
        "What's up?"  
        "I need to know if you have spoke with Kevin recently," he demanded, and her lips formed a soft 'o' shape.   
        "No, I'm sorry, I haven't talked with him since... well, you know," she informed him, and his face fell. She looked at his sad expression and pursed her lips. Even if her boyfriend hated the boy, she still thought he was cool, and she wished she could help him. "If you really want me to, I can shoot him a text and see if he's okay...might not respond though considering how much he hates Levi." Edd nodded, and she shrugged, pulling out her phone and typing a message into the phone rapidly before hitting send. "There ya go, I'll let you know if he responds."  
        "Thank you, what did you tell him, if I might be so bold as to inquire?"  
        "Oh, I just said you were worried about him and that I was sorry for being a bitch."   
        Edd nodded, frowning, then thanked her again before heading to class. The next few hours dragged along, and to him it seemed like they would never end, but finally, FINALLY it was lunchtime, and he dashed toward the cafeteria, eager to find Nazz and discover Kevin's response. To his dismay, Kevin had not replied, and in fact it seemed his phone was off, as she had asked around to see if anyone else had gotten through to him, but none of them had. Double D thanked her again, then made his way to the library, where he sat staring at a wall for the remainder of the lunch hour. He was unsure why his ex's predicament concerned him, especially when he had been the one to end it, although he supposed he felt responsible.   
        He anxiously awaited the end of the school day, wishing to see whether or not Kevin was still alive. The second half seemed to last even longer than the first, and the instant it was over, he rushed out through the front doors. This never happened, as he usually stayed late after school to assist with various errands the teachers needed to complete, but he was unable to concentrate.   
        He ditched his backpack and coat at his house then rushed across the street to Kevin's house. He pounded on the door without stopping for a full three minutes, hoping to grab the jock's attention, and sure enough, the door unlatched and swung open, revealing a very haggard Kevin. Edd's jaw dropped. He'd never seen anyone look this bad in his entire life, and he had taken care of both Ed and Eddy when they had come down with the flu.   
        Kevin's hair was messy to the point where it looked more like a bird's nest than hair, he had dark circles underneath his eyes that more closely resembled black paint than skin, and it was apparent that he had not been eating. His cheeks were sunken, almost gaunt in appearance, and Edd's eyes welled with tears as he looked at the wrinkled shirt that the athlete had been wearing the day they broke up still hanging off the boy's form.   
        "What are you doing here?" the athlete asked gruffly, leaning against the doorway and glaring at Edd, who shrunk under his gaze.   
        "I-I was merely worried about you...and it looks like I had good reason to be," he added as he gestured to the boy's appearance. The redhead glared at him, his mouth set in a thin line.   
        "Oh right, 'cuz I, the one who is 'slow as a sloth', deserve 'your majesty's' concern. Fuck off." Kevin moved to close the door, but Edd stuck his foot in between the jam and the door, causing immense pain for himself and earning another glare from the jock.   
        "Please, can I speak with you, Kevin? I think we both have some explaining to do...I miss you..." Edd muttered, and Kevin continued to glare, but finally sighed and rolled his eyes, pulling open the door and allowing the nerd into the house.   
        "Fine, make it quick though, I don't want to deal with anyone right now," the redhead muttered, running his fingers through his tangled hair and ripping out a few ginger strands. He stepped away from the entrance and waited until the younger teen was inside before he closed the door with a snap and clicked the lock into place. He once again brushed past his ex and into the living room, then planted himself on the couch, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the boy standing nervously in front of him.   
        Edd wrung his hands anxiously, unsure where to start. "I-I suppose I should begin with a question..." he finally murmured, more to himself than Kevin, then straightened and looked the stony athlete in the eye. "I must first ask why it was that you stopped talking with me in the first place," he stated matter-of-factly. Kevin sighed heavily, uncrossing his arms and running his hands down his face tiredly.   
        "Alright. If you really want to know, I was ticked." Kevin pulled his hands off his face and laid his arms across the back of the couch, letting his head fall back. "I hated that you were so comfortable with whoever the fuck that dude was. I don't have any clue who they were, but you just flat out told them we were dating...how in the fuck am I supposed to compete with that, Edd? How am I supposed to just stand by and let you just fucking run to whoever you want and just tell them you're dating Kevin, the asshole jock who is supposed to be super into chicks? I just... I don't know Double D..." Kevin fell silent, and Edd looked sorrowfully at the boy he loved so very much.  
        "That's what all this was about, Kevin? About him?" Edd asked quietly, and Kevin hesitated before he nodded. Edd couldn't help it; he laughed shakily as he sank into the nearest chair. "Oh thank goodness. I thought I'd done something to provoke you..." Tears began falling from his sapphire-blue eyes, and he wiped them away with the sleeve of his sweater. Kevin refused to look at him, knowing that he couldn't help. He was the problem after all. "Kevin...that was Marie Kanker..."   
        This caught the jock's attention. He snapped his head upward, staring in confusion at the small boy in front of him. He raised an eyebrow, silently voicing the question on his mind, and Edd grinned.   
        "Marie had a sex change a while ago, and she is now Mark, it's hard to explain, but oh my goodness you scared me... You have nothing to fear... I only lashed out at you because I was sick of being ignored and you not talking to me broke my heart..." He began sobbing in earnest, and Kevin pushed himself from the couch, falling to his knees in front of the beanie-clad boy.   
        "Oh god, baby please don't cry...I'm so sorry I did that to you...next time I'll bring my concerns to you I promise... I love you so much... don't cry..." Kevin begged as his own tears slid down his cheeks. He never expected to be the one with the broken heart. He knew now that Edd completely held the key to his heart, that they needed to work through everything together, and that if they had problems in their relationship, they needed to bring it to their attention so they could fix it, rather than let it fester.   
        Kevin cupped the blue-eyed boy's face in his hands and placed a sweet kiss to his lips. They tasted of salty tears and mint, an odd combination, but one he rather liked for some reason. "I'm sorry that I wasn't smart or mature enough to let you know, that will change I promise. Please let me have the honor of calling you mine again... I'll do anything."   
        "You don't need to do anything, Kevin. I'm already yours." Edd gave him a soft smile, his eyes still glittering with tears, and Kevin pressed his lips to the other's again.   
        "I love you so much."  
        "I share your feelings of adoration."  
        "Y'know, you could've just said 'I love you too,' dork," Kevin grinned, and Edd let out a shaky laugh and threw his arms around the other. They shared an embrace, simply enjoying being close to each other again. The past two and a half weeks had been hell on the both of them, and they both knew it. "God I missed you."   
        "I missed you too, Kevin," the smaller boy said, and Kevin stood, scooping his love up in his arms and carrying him upstairs. They lay next to each other, talking about anything and everything for a good three hours, then the jock pulled the nerd against his side and they fell asleep next to each other, perfectly content.   
        The next week marked the most controversial and historic moment in Peach Creek since it was founded. Kevin and Edd strode proudly through the halls, their fingers intertwined as they made their way to their separate classes. They always made sure to share a tender kiss, to the shock and horror of onlookers, then would retreat to their classrooms, only to be peppered with questions by their classmates. Ed and Eddy were oddly calm with the whole thing. They'd figured right from the start that Double D had feelings for Kevin, but had conveniently "forgotten" to alert him to this fact.  
        Nazz was also completely cool with their relationship, finally understanding why Levi acted the way he did, so she dumped him, leaving him a social outcast alone in the sea of students at the high school. She instantly resolved all issues she may have had with either Kevin or Double D and they became the best of friends. Her support helped them to ignore the hateful glares and gossip that followed them wherever they went in the school, and with her help the student body slowly became more and more tolerant.  
        The two lovers spent Christmas together at Kevin's house, as Edd's parents had neglected to show up, instead sending him a text message reading simply 'Happy Xmas -Mom and Dad.' Double D had been upset at first, but Kevin's mother's kindness towards him cured all feelings of ill will he felt. Kevin had told his mom that he and Double D were an item around Thanksgiving, and she had accepted it immediately, congratulating the boy on finding such a wonderful person to spend his time with. She promptly invited him to Christmas, and Edd had accepted the invitation just as promptly, delighted to finally meet his boyfriend's family. To his astonishment, she had even given him his own present, a book about the study of genomes and the progression of the study over time. When asked how she knew he was fascinated by the subject, she merely gestured at her son, and Edd held the book close to his heart as he watched the jock mess around with his new gift: a handheld digital crossword game that he was failing miserably at. They spent the remainder of the day curled up on the couch together under a blanket watching old movies while Edd perused the kind gift that he had been given. But nothing could compare to that night, when they returned to Kevin's room and made sweet, passionate love, then fell asleep with Edd snuggled against Kevin's side.   
        The next year was a whirlwind of college searching, applying for scholarships and tests, but they went through everything together. They agreed to go to colleges in the same general vicinity so they could at least live together, and were delighted when they learned they'd both been granted full rides to the same college, Kevin for football and Edd for biology.   
        The graduation ceremony for the seniors of Peach Creek High was an emotional affair. Everyone was sad to be leaving their friends, but excited for the future, and there was not a single face in the graduating class not coated in tears or running mascara. Double D was of course the class valedictorian, and his speech only served to bring forth more tears as he spoke of their respective paths and how they were separate but always intertwined. The speech ended with him thanking everyone for their support, their effort and their acceptance.   
        The best part of the ceremony was, for Kevin, seeing his boyfriend walking across the stage, watching his smile stretch from ear to ear as he accepted his diploma, then stepping off the edge to run towards him, waving the newly awarded diploma. He pressed a sweet kiss to excited seventeen year old's lips, grinning as he watched the shy boy blush from the attention. Kevin in turn walked across the stage, collected his diploma and made his way down the steps, but he didn't walk towards his boyfriend. Instead, he made his way towards the podium that stood in front of the stage. He was supposed to give the final speech before the turning of the tassels and the final cheer that meant they were free, and he was going to make it special.   
        "Hey guys, you all know me. I've been playing football for years, I'm a quarterback, yada yada, full ride, all that jazz. But I want to say a few things before we take our final step along the diving board and leap off into the deep end known as life. We're going to have a lot to deal with over the next few years. College, sports, military, what have you, but we all have one thing in common: We love Peach Creek. It's our home, it's where our story began, and it's where we always know we have a home to come back to. I began my life and my story here, and while I may be going away for a few years, I know I'll always come back. I love this place! And there's something I love even more. Double D, come up here, please."   
        Edd's faced turned a bright shade of pink as he wove his way through the crowd, ignoring the stares that followed him from the audience and the collection of seniors as he stood next to the podium.   
        "Hey, long time no see," Kevin joked, drawing a laugh from the watching crowd, and then he dove right into another speech. "Alright, time for some personal stuff. Eddward, I've known you since we were young, probably since we were toddlers. I know I was mean to you, and I know I could have definitely treated you better in those first couple years. But junior year was the best thing to ever happen to me, even if it was a little rocky for you, what with getting knocked out probably fifteen times," (another laugh) "It was then when I realized just how amazing you truly are, and since we got off to such a bad start, I'd like us to have a perfect ending..." Kevin knelt down on one knee, holding open a box in which lay a simple band of silver with a single stone. "Will you marry me, Eddward Vincent?" he asked, and a chorus of 'aww' resonated from the seats around them. Edd held his hands up to his face, trying not to cry as he said "Yes" and Kevin slipped the band onto his finger.   
        "Alright, ya'll, we are officially graduates!" he called into the microphone. "Turn your tassels, cuz we're free!" He turned back to Edd and moved the tassel for him, then turned his own before they threw their hats in the air and shared a passionate kiss as the entire room erupted in cheers. "Here's to happy endings," he whispered, and locked his fingers with Edd's as they watched the shower of caps fall from the sky.  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over... I couldn't think of any other way to end it, to be honest. I just felt it was time. This was a whirlwind ride for me! I hope to write another Kevedd fanfic in the future, probably a Reverse! AU, but it will have to wait until after I finish my novel for NaNoWriMo! Thank you for sticking with me for my first ever official fanfic, I really hope you enjoyed it. Au revoir for now my friends. Until next time <3


	12. UPDATE NOTICE

OH MY GOD WE MADE IT TO 1000 HITS!!! I will write an epilogue within the next week as promised! Thank you so so much! This chapter will be replaced with the next update as soon as possible.


	13. Epilogue: Nine Years Later

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nine years after graduation, Kevin and Edd are making a life for themselves, and are very excited to welcome new beginnings.

        "Kevin would you please hurry? It's not every day my best friend gets married! We need to be on time!"   
        "Hush up, D, I'm coming!" came a muffled reply from upstairs. Eddward tapped his foot impatiently on the stairs, arms crossed over his chest. He had already locked both the front and back doors, combed all the windows to ensure they were unopened, and had even triple checked the security system to make sure it was in place and working properly. Finally he heard the sound of footsteps and turned to see his husband descending the stairs with their squirming daughter in his arms.   
        Kevin had barely changed since high school. It was true that he had hit a sudden growth spurt in their sophomore year of college and now stood around six inches taller than his spouse, but other than that he was almost identical to his high school self. His red hair still hung around shoulder-length, although at Edd's discretion, it was far better maintained than in previous years, and thanks to years of playing football, his figure was still just as muscular. He'd been drafted to a professional team right out of college, but he always made sure to make time for his family.   
        Edd, on the other hand, had changed drastically. Kevin's compliments towards his appearance and how attractive he thought the younger boy to be had gradually boosted his self-confidence, and eventually had enough to discard the old hat that had joined him on all his adventures in younger years. Along with this, he had also gone through a growth spurt, which added another two inches to his height in a year. Regardless, he still had to crane his look to see his husband's face, which made for some very interesting arguments, whenever they arose, which thankfully wasn't often.   
        "Are you ready to go?" Edd asked, and Kevin smiled, pressing a gentle kiss to his cheek.   
        "Yea, just lemme grab Rachel's bunny, then we can go," he said, and handed over the girl before dashing upstairs. Edd smiled down at the pig-tailed toddler, remembered fondly the day they had agreed that they wanted a child. After discussing for months, the two had mutually agreed that, while adoption was certainly an option, they wanted a child of their own. Unfortunately, both being male, that would mean finding a surrogate. It had taken them forever to find someone who was willing to carry their child to term, and Eddward remembered vividly the awkwardness of the conception. The surrogate mother, Amanda, was a very sweet woman with soft blonde hair and a rather curvy figure. She was close friends with the both of them, having gone to college with them and working in the same genetics laboratory as Edd. When they'd brought up the topic of her possibly carrying their child, she'd been apprehensive, but agreed, and plans had been made accordingly.   
        Nine months later, on April 17th, their daughter had been born. It was a very emotional moment for all of them. Amanda was crabby because of the pain of labor, but relieved to see that her best friend's daughter was safe and healthy, Kevin was sobbing as he got to hold the child he had helped to create for the first time, and even Edd could not restrain the tears that slid down his cheeks as he gingerly scooped the infant up and held her. Now a three year old, Rachel was a bubbly girl with a heart of gold. She had bright red hair and green eyes like her father, but had her mother's gentle smile and long lashes. Edd and Kevin loved her more than anything, and did anything they could to prevent injury or sickness, although not to the extent that she had no defenses against the natural world. She was incredibly bright as well, already able to walk and talk, and her first word had been a garbled version of "neutron", which pleased Edd to no end.   
        "Hey, D, I can't find the bunny!" Kevin called down the stairs, and Edd was yanked from his memories.   
        "Did you check on the bathroom counter?" he responded, and the sound of footsteps echoed down as the redhead went to go check.   
        "Jesus, babe, I swear you're psychic!" came the answer, and a smile broke across the black-haired man's face.   
        "You know it! Now hurry up! Do you really want to miss their wedding?"   
        "No, of course not, I'm coming!" Kevin slid down the banister, earning a glare from his husband. The redhead shrugged and handed the stuffed rabbit to his daughter, who grabbed it eagerly. Edd smiled softly yet again then followed Kevin out to the garage, where he carefully buckled Rachel into her car seat, then climbed into the driver's seat. While he'd gotten used to Kevin's motorcycle, he still felt more comfortable being in control of whatever vehicle he was situated on or in, so he always insisted on driving the car when the both of them were going anywhere together. Since the addition of their daughter to the family, it had become even more imperative that he was in control. It wasn't that he didn't trust Kevin, it was just that his driving was a little more impulsive and erratic than it was safe.   
        Edd pulled out of the driveway carefully, checking around the car for anyone who might be too much in a rush to see him backing up, then proceeded towards the local church. He still remembered vividly their own wedding in that exact same church. It had been a year after college ended. Edd was employed at a relatively local biology lab about two towns away, and Kevin had just landed a contract with the Peach Creek football team. He had also been offered contracts with some pretty big name teams, but the idea of leaving Edd just didn't sound fun. True, the boy rarely attended his games, and even when he did he was often reading some book or another, but Kevin knew that he supported him in all of his endeavors. Regardless, they still spent all their free time together, but Valentine's Day the year after their college graduation was the day to end all days.   
        Kevin took Edd out to dinner at a nice place that the two both enjoyed: a quaint little Thai restaurant that was hidden away in a shopping center about a ten minute drive from their apartment. Their evening was spent in comfortable silence for a good while, with steaming plates of noodles and vegetables laid on the table between them. When they did speak, it was mainly about their jobs and school. Kevin didn't have much to say on his work with his team, although that was mainly because Edd was very well informed about his professional life. Instead, he asked the scientist questions about his work and managed to keep a basic grasp on the conversation, even if his talk about alleles and genetics confused the living hell out of him.   
        It had come up when the athlete had grasped the other's hand and gave him an intense look.   
        "Can I assist you in any way, darling?" the black-haired boy asked shyly, and the redhead's face turned a bit pink in response. Even after more than five and a half years together, his fiance still managed to give him butterflies every time they spoke. He leaned across the table and pressed a gentle kiss to the other's lips, then sat back and continued his intense look.   
        "Edd, I know I asked you this years and years ago, and I know we haven't really talked about it much since....but I wanted to ask again...and with a better ring this time." He knelt next to the table on one knee, and Edd's hands flew up to his face in sheer embarrassment.  
        "Kevin...no..." he muttered, thoroughly embarrassed, and the redhead couldn't help but grin widely at the other's reaction.   
        "Kevin, yes," he insisted, drawing a small snort from the other. He removed the scientist's left hand from his face, pulling it down towards his heart and pressing it against the fabric laying across his chest. "Edd, I asked you to marry me almost five years ago. Since then, we've had our ups and our downs, but my feelings for you haven't changed. I'm still just as in love with you as I was when we were teenagers. So I'm going to ask you again, and I really, really, hope that the answer will be the same. Eddward Marion Vincent...will you marry me?" He opened the box and revealed two bands of gold that were wrapped around each other, each inlaid with a stone apiece. On one sat a ruby, Kevin's birthstone, and on the other an amethyst, Edd's.   
        Edd's eyes glistened in the soft light emanating from the candle on the table, and a single joyous tear trailed down his face as he nodded fervently. "Yes. Yes. Oh god, Kevin, yes. It will always be a yes!" he said, as the athlete gently removed the silver ring from five years before and replaced it with the new one.   
        Four months later, they could be found in the church at the altar, clasping each other's hands as the priest conducted the first marriage he had ever performed for a gay couple. Surrounded by friends, smiling widely, they gave their vows. Edd began, tears filling his gorgeous cyan eyes as he told Kevin exactly how he felt.  
        "All those years ago, when we first began talking and you confessed your feelings for me, I admit that I was astonished. I was not very confident in my sexuality at the time, so when I realized I had feelings for you, I attempted to push it down for as long as I could. You brought the real me forth, and you make me complete. You take my loose ends and tie them so tightly that there is no possible way that they can unravel. You make my life infinitely better, and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that you are the best thing to ever happen to me and my world. Thank you for our past, and I look forward to a future full of surprises, of adventure and peace, of love and kindness, and I even look forward to our stupid arguments and bickering. I love you so much, Kevin Barr, and I promise that I will be yours as long as you will have me."   
        As he finished, tears began running down his face, although they were countered by his brilliant smile, revealing just how truly grateful he was to have the redhead in his life. Kevin resisted the urge to press a soft kiss to his lips, instead choking back his own tears and opening his mouth to give him his own promise.   
        "That is going to be hard to follow up," he said, and grinned widely before continuing. "But while I'm not a poet in the slightest, I do know one thing for certain, and that is that I love you more than anything. More than sports, more than sleep, more than anything. I mean it when I say that with all my heart I love you, and I hope you will continue to stay by my side for the rest of our lives. I'm happy that we managed to make a place for ourselves in this world, and I'm even happier that you agreed when I asked you to marry me. Forever is a long time, but I definitely wouldn't mind waking up to you for all of eternity. I love you Eddward. More than I can say in words."   
        The priest, smiling gently, moved closer to place his hand over their clasped ones, and told them to repeat after him, one after the other. After the "until death do us part", he stepped back and pronounced in a loud voice "You may now kiss the groom!" Cheers erupted from the crowd of close friends as the two locked lips, Edd's arms reaching up to pull Kevin in close to his body, and Kevin's in turn wrapping around his husband's waist, their wedding bands sparkling in the late afternoon sun shining in through the stained glass windows.  
        Now, years later, the two had returned to the church to celebrate yet another union, although this time for a different pair. Edd could hardly believe that Ed, who had been positively terrified of the opposite gender for the entirety of middle school, was now about to be married to his high school sweetheart, who was a Kanker, of all people. He and May had officially been dating for even longer than Kevin and Edd, which meant that, what with the two men nearing eleven years since they had begun dating, the odd couple was nearing their twelfth.         
        The husbands locked the car, Kevin picked up Rachel, and they walked into the church together hand in hand, where they were instantly greeted by a throng of their friends. Nazz swept their daughter into her arms, planting kisses all over the squirming child's face, then gave each of the girl's dads a hug.   
        "Hey you two! It's been forever!" she said, grinning, and Kevin rolled his eyes at her.   
        "You literally saw us two days ago!" he said, but his smile betrayed his amusement. Edd laid his head on the redhead's shoulder and waved at Nazz. She had been insistent that she wanted to be Rachel's godmother, and the two dads had been more than happy to grant her wish. At the age of 26, she herself was married and had three children. Her husband was a successful businessman from Philadelphia, and while he was nice enough, neither Edd or Kevin was particularly fond of him, although they pretended to like him for Nazz's sake. Her children, two of which had locked themselves onto her skirt and the other of whom was trying to get his dad's attention, had definitely inherited her looks. They all had her blonde hair and full lips, even the sons, and they were all very sweet, although the twins could be brats at times.   
        "Oh whatever, you know I just love my little girl," she said brightly, and planted another large smooch to the girl's forehead before handing her back to Edd. "So, Double D, are you excited about Ed finally getting married?" she asked as she picked up her daughters, one in each arm.   
        "Oh, but of course. I have been wondering whether or not it was a possibility for years, and now that it is actually happening, I can hardly believe it!" he admitted, and was about to continue when the sound of the church organ playing _Here Comes the Bride_ let the audience members know that it was time to sit down lest they be trampled by the over-exuberant bride. Nazz returned to her husband and attempted to get her children to sit still, and she was closely followed by Edd, who slid into the seat next to her with a giggling Rachel sitting excitedly on his lap. Kevin decided to sit just behind his family, but he extended a hand outward so Rachel could have something to cling onto.   
        The multitude of people in the audience, most of whom Edd didn't recognize, but were sure were guests of May's, were decked in odd assortments of clothes, some decked out in feathery boas and others in hats that looked like they'd simply gutted a raccoon. Knowing May's family, it was very likely they had. Mark and Lee sat at the forefront of the group, and Mark gave Edd a little wave, which he returned.   
        The doors of the church opened, letting in a bright stream of sunlight which illuminated the silhouette of May Kanker. She looked stunning, with a simple sleeveless white gown daring to emphasize her curves and her blond hair pulled back in an elegant bun. Her two front teeth, through heavy orthodonture, had been filed down to almost normal proportions, and they were a brilliant shade of white only obtainable through bleaching products and long hours of scrubbing with whitening toothpaste. Regardless, she looked positively angelic, and by the look of the groom's face, he agreed. Ed had also improved drastically in later years, with Edd and May's help. He became increasingly more hygienic as the years progressed, taking daily showers and even attempting to learn how to use a razor, although he was more prone to nicking himself than actually removing the unwanted hair.   
        The bride's footsteps made small muffled sounds as she daintily stepped down the aisle, a perfect contrast to her tomboyish self from middle school. Ed gazed at her in admiration, watching the love of his life walk towards him. The ceremony was short, but sweet, with the crowd of people staring with rapt attention at the couple at the altar, and the hall erupted with cheers as they shared a kiss, sealing the deal. Eddward rushed up to congratulate his childhood friend, and was engulfed in a bone-crushing hug.   
        "I just got married, Double D!" Ed practically screamed, tears welling up in his eyes.   
        "I know!" Eddward said in a moment of uncensored excitement before he pulled himself back together. "Congratulations, Ed. I trust you and May will be very happy together."   
        "I think we will be," Ed admitted softly, gazing lovingly at his wife, who was talking to a woman with a nose so large she could have been mistaken for a vulture. Eddward smiled gently and clapped him on the shoulder.   
        "I am so happy for you Ed. You've come a long way from where you were when we were kids. Now go to her, she looks as though that vulture woman is pestering her to death." Ed nodded and rushed towards the blonde, who greeted him with a soft kiss and allowed him to pull her towards the table holding all the food. Double D grinned and turned back to Kevin. The redhead was talking with Nazz's husband with a look of scorn etched into the corners of his mouth. "Kevin, could you come here please?" he called, and his husband nodded, waving to the businessman and rushing over.   
        "Thank you so much, that guy pisses me off to no end," he whispered under his breath, then straightened, looking down at Edd. "You alright, sweetie?"   
        "Yea, sorry. I'm just pretty tired, and May's family is giving me a headache," the scientist admitted, rubbing his temples.   
        "Do you want me to grab Rachel so we can go home?" Kevin asked, and Edd nodded gratefully. He loved Ed and May, but his headache was escalating to almost migraine-like proportions. His husband would have to drive them home. He sought out his best friend, gave him and May a final goodbye hug, then he and Kevin, along with Rachel, left the church. He handed his keys to the redhead and buckled Rachel into her carseat, then they pulled out of the parking lot and made their way home.   
        When they arrived, Kevin put Rachel to bed while Edd plodded to their bedroom to change out of his formal attire and take an aspirin. Kevin entered the room shortly after and suggested they watch a movie after he removed his suit. Edd agreed, and watched from his perch on the bed as the athlete stripped off his suit and slid into a pair of grey sweatpants. His heavily muscled arms flexed as he stretched them above his head. He knew that Edd idolized his figure, and he took every possible moment to reveal it to his husband.   
        Climbing onto the bed next to the black haired man, he wrapped a large arm around the other's slender shoulders and snatched the remote from the nightstand, flicking the TV on, revealing an old black and white movie that must have been left in the player. It was entirely in French, but Eddward had ripped it onto his computer and added subtitles for Kevin's benefit, even though the athlete honestly didn't care. He was far more interested in the slim man nestled against his side, the man whose left ring finger bore the ring that claimed him as his, the man who he loved more than anything else in the world, and the man who he knew without a doubt he would be with for the rest of his life.   
        He softly caressed his husband's cheek, pulling him in for a deep kiss that expressed all the love that he felt, but within moments it had devolved into something far more visceral. Hands reached up, teeth nipped, lips traveled along skin, and clothes were discarded on the floor, and in the next few minutes, Kevin pressed up into Edd, moans echoing from their lips, although quiet enough to avoid waking up their daughter. It wasn't until afterwards, when they lay next to each other in post-orgasmic ecstasy, that Kevin turned to the other and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and uttered the three simple words that had changed everything all those years ago.  
        _"I love you."_  
        _"I love you too."_  

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's over guys! I'm so thankful that you stuck with me until the end! I'm really super sorry about how long it took me to upload, I have been working my butt off to get good grades in my final exams, plus I've been pretty sick the last few weeks.   
> Thank you so much for your support, once again. If you want to read another fanfiction by me, I have another called "I Need You Like Water" which is a Reverse! Kevedd AU fanfic. I love you guys so much for putting up with my crappy writing, cheesy story lines and generally low quality everything. Au revoir for now. 
> 
> -Bri

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, thanks for reading my first ever fanfic, and thanks for the kudos and comments! If this gets more than 100 Kudos or 1500 views, I will write an epilogue!
> 
> If you like this, check out my profile, I am writing a Reverse Kevedd fic as well :)


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